ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula wants the government to use re-registration process to deport undocumented immigrants

The government has been urged to shut all spaza shops, forcing owners to re-register, after a spate of deaths caused by poisoned snacks.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who said 12 children had died, called for immediate action, urging the government to have all spaza shop owners re-register and deport any who were undocumented.

The Department of Health said seven children had been confirmed dead and post-mortems confirmed that six of those deaths were as a result of consuming food contaminated with Terbufos, an organophosphate.

National Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale confirmed they did not have an accurate figure of the number of children affected after consuming contaminated food.

“The public is urged to report any use, trade, marketing and manufacturing of these illegal chemicals in South Africa. Government discourages the citizens from using illegal and poisonous pesticides,” Mohale said.

All deaths suspected to have been from contaminated or poisonous food were being investigated by the police, working with other stakeholders including the Department of Health.

Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mahlangu said they had called on schools and parents to be vigilant, especially parents who gave their children money.

“That’s where the problem begins: when you as a parent give money to your child and along the way they buy snacks, or during the break they buy snacks from these places. Pack food for your children at home which they will eat at school, and give them snacks that you buy from a trusted source so you know what they are eating.”

Mahlangu called on parents to talk to their children about eating food items from unknown places and for schools to engage the people that sell food items in and around the school premises, to find out where they buy their stock.

“But all of these things have had no impact whatsoever on the school nutrition programme, which feeds 9.7 million children. It has not affected any child because of the food hygiene practices we have in the system. We've made sure that all the 55 000 to 60 000 food handlers in all our provinces, in all our schools, are able to process food and feed our kids with no incident. So it is not the school nutrition programme whatsoever. It’s all these biscuits and snacks and other things which they are buying from other people other than the school feeding programme,” Mahlangu said.

This week the South African Local Government Association (Salga) in KwaZulu-Natal convened an emergency meeting with municipal food inspectors, also known as Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs), to coordinate a response to the growing reports of food poisoning incidents.

Salga KZN operations director Sabelo Gwala said that together with KZN DoH and relevant stakeholders they agreed to strengthen inspection standards.

“I don’t believe somebody is deliberately harming our children because I have no proof of that. But what I do believe is that there are businesses which choose not to register or choose not to label their food or choose not to manufacture their food within the proper standards governing that particular food industry and that is illegal. And there have been cases where the (KZN) premier has conducted raids and found shops that don’t meet the standards for what they manufacture.

“I must also dispel another myth here: this should not be couched as something attacking undocumented foreigners or be seen in an immigration way in any shape or form.

“There are processes around immigration in South Africa and we are not dealing with that. Yes, it might be that border control and processing food that enters from our borders are part of the function, but the main challenge here that we must deal with is not a home affairs issue: it is a municipal function issue and municipalities must view it as we want all food to have been produced according to the proper standards, regardless of who is the person behind that.

“Because that might cloud the issues in such a way that it’s seen as we are targeting only a specific type of producer or trader and we wouldn’t want that at all.”

However, Mbalula said a total shutdown of these shops was warranted to “ensure that only properly documented owners operate these shops, with those found to be undocumented facing deportation”.

Mbalula said the closure of spaza shops would be temporary and shops would be required to register afresh, ensuring that owners provided proper documentation.

“Only shops with valid permits will be allowed to operate. Undocumented owners will face deportation. The government will use this opportunity to address illegal immigration issues,” Mbalula said.

The ANC said it was engaging with stakeholders in law enforcement, government, and local business associations to introduce stricter health and safety protocols for these establishments.

“We are exploring the development of tailored local by-laws to better regulate spaza shop operations and ensure public health is prioritised.”

“Spaza shops have long played a central role in our local economies, providing affordable goods, creating jobs and serving as accessible points of service for our communities.” it said. “Their significance, especially in under-served areas, cannot be overstated. However, the rise in cases of food-borne illnesses, particularly affecting children, calls for immediate intervention.”

The Gauteng provincial government has already declared the situation a state of disaster, with Finance MEC Lebogang Maile proposing a state of emergency to address the rising fatalities linked to spaza shops.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has also urged South Africans to demand registration certificates from spaza shop owners before purchasing food.

Small Business Development Deputy Minister Jane Sithole encouraged South Africans to reclaim the R900 billion spaza-shop business to promote economic growth and community development.

Previously, Ntshavheni called on South Africans to demand to see registration certificates from spaza shop owners before buying and eating food from them.

Recently, the public, together with the government and organisations, have called for urgent action to return the R900-billion spaza-shop business back to locals.