A shortage of environmental health practitioners and poor municipal compliance have been identified as key failures after dozens of children died from suspected food poisoning linked to spaza shops
By Mapaballo Borotho
What does it mean when children continue to fall sick or die from food poisoning, and who should be held accountable?
A damning Public Protector report released on Friday, 17 July 2026, has revealed serious weaknesses in Gauteng’s food safety system, citing a severe shortage of environmental health practitioners and poor compliance by local government.
The report stems from an investigation relating to at least 23 children who lost their lives in the province in 2024 due to suspected food poisoning linked to local spaza shops.
While compliance officers in the province began inspecting spaza shops to determine whether they were operating within the law, many of these stores, including some that were previously shut down, continue to operate within communities.
The Public Protector’s report states that Gauteng has only a fraction of the environmental health practitioners it needs and calls for urgent action to strengthen food safety oversight and better protect communities.
Phemelo Motene discussed the findings with Gauteng provincial government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga on Kaya 959’s Point of View.
Mhlanga said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has already established a task team to implement the Public Protector’s recommendations and prevent similar incidents from happening again.
“In October 2024, while these incidents were unfolding and the complaint was lodged with the Public Protector, we established the Gauteng Intergovernmental Relations Forum.
It brought together relevant national departments, local municipalities, metros and their entities. The forum has since become permanent, and we have been monitoring various areas of safety to ensure that spaza shops are licensed, compliance is enforced, and foreign nationals operating these businesses have the required documentation.
All of these measures are aimed at preventing a repeat of the tragedy in which children died after consuming food purchased from spaza shops in different parts of the province,” said Mhlanga.
He emphasised that law enforcement agencies must continue closing down and taking action against stores that fail to comply with the law.
Listen to the podcast for the full discussion.
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