The Department of Health has rebuffed claims that government is neglecting the issue of children dying from suspected food poisoning.

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) is currently treating the recent spate of suspected food poisoning deaths as a national security threat.

“These increasing incidents in black communities have led to an unfortunate and unsubstantiated perception that authorities are turning a blind eye to this crisis, and seem not to care about what’s happening to citizens. Contrary to these beliefs and perceptions, this is what various authorities have been engaged in,” a statement from the Department of Health read.

Those affected have concluded that these sudden deaths, especially among school children, were because of food poisoning emanating from foodstuff, particularly snacks, sold by foreign-owned spaza shops.

The Health Department said NATJOINTS, which is the national structure responsible for coordinating the security of the State, is treating these incidents as a potential threat to the security of the country and its citizens.

Following recent incidents, foreign owned spaza shops have been attacked and looted, raising fears of civil unrest.

“Last week, NATJOINTS met to analyse this situation and after careful analysis, recommended that the Department of Health should coordinate all these investigations involving various institutions and bodies because in the final analysis, whatever is happening eventually leads to ill-health or even death.”

Meanwhile, the department said South African Police Service (SAPS) detectives have been working around the clock to try unravel this “mystery”, especially where children have died, as is the case in Naledi, Soweto.

In addition, the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metros have deployed their Environmental Inspectors to investigate the cause of these suspected food poisoning incidents.

The Environmental Directorate of the National Department of Health has also sent its inspectors to check compliance with health regulations.

“The Department of Agriculture has also sent in their officials to check if the problem might not be emanating their produce or from lack of compliance with some of their production regulations,” the department said, adding that the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has also deployed senior officials to investigate the possibility of a breach of consumer protection regulations.

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has decided to rope in the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to assist.

The team from the organs of State has concluded that they are dealing with a chemical agent as the cause of the illness.

They also announced that a plan has since been put into place to mount a systemic search for the agent causing this malady, and that action will be accelerated during the coming weeks.

The plan entails employing 80 health inspectors from the National Department of Health and the City of Johannesburg.

They will be joined by teams selected from SAPS, Agriculture and the NCC, which have already gone through the NICD and have been provided with the necessary equipment and tools. The teams will be working under NICD’s direct supervision.

The team, the department said, will commence their work in Naledi, Soweto.

Gauteng has seen a series of food poisoning incidents, which led to the death of six children in Soweto. The children reported buying snacks from a spaza shop. To date, no evidence has been established to link the deaths to the food from the spaza shops.

This month, 47 Rapelego Primary School pupils in Hammanskraal were hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning. The children are believed to have eaten chocolates that had passed their expiry date.

Before that incident, more than 70 Gauteng Grade 12 pupils were rushed to the Carletonville District Hospital following a suspected food poisoning incident.