Zuko Komisa

Speaking to the nation on Friday from Pretoria’s Union Buildings, President Ramaphosa listed three crucial initiatives that must be put into place right away.
All spaza shops should be registered with their municipalities within the next 21 days.
The President’s speech follows 890 food-borne illness cases that have been documented nationwide, with the hardest-hit states being Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Free State, and Mpumalanga.
At least 22 children have died from food-borne diseases in recent weeks. Six children, the youngest of whom was six years old, perished in a significant foodborne event that occurred in Naledi, Soweto, last month.
Stricter laws to safeguard communities and the prompt closure of spaza stores linked to the fatalities are two examples.
“Following the special meeting of Cabinet, we have decided to make the following interventions: The first intervention is to get hazardous pesticides off the street, the second critical intervention is to protect children from exposure to these substances, the third critical intervention is to prevent future outbreaks. The following measures will be implemented with immediate effect.
“The spaza shops which have been implicated in the deaths of children will be closed with immediate effect. Non-compliant businesses and shops linked to any poisoning incidents or found to unlawfully stock hazardous chemicals will be shut down,”
“Any shop that is not registered within 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed,” President Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said that the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies will be required to investigate, arrest and prosecute offenders. This will involve close cooperation with all registered manufacturers and suppliers.
“Integrated multidisciplinary inspection teams will undertake compliance inspections of food handling facilities, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. This will include spaza shops and general dealers.
“A massive campaign of door-to-door inspections of all spaza shops, tuck shops and other informal traders will be undertaken, starting with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.
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