National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, has warned that the South African Police Service (SAPS) will, through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), monitor adherence to the law as law enforcement undertake compliance inspections of food handling facilities, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, including spaza shops.
President Cyril Ramaphosa last week announced that 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.
This will be undertaken by teams consisting of the South African Military Health Service, environmental health practitioners, the South African Police Service, the National Consumer Council, labour inspectors and others.
The initial phase of inspections is expected to be completed within a month.
“As the police we expect everyone to cooperate. We will continue to visit warehouses countrywide to ensure that we know what is contained there, to ensure that we know what is being transported and to ensure that there is no illegal stuff that proliferate in the country,” Masemola said.
He was briefing media in Pretoria on Thursday 21 November, along with various Ministers who are leading the multidisciplinary teams in government, responsible for the national response to instances of foodborne illnesses.
Masemola warned that the police would not hesitate to take action if people are not cooperating or where there is non-compliance.
The NATJOINTS has further encouraged communities to register their businesses and be responsible citizens.
“Government appeals to members of the public not to disturb the process of registration by blocking certain shop owners from participating in the process, this includes conducting unlawful inspections by members of the public and other unauthorised bodies,” NATJOINTS said.
Last week, Ramaphosa called for all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their respective municipalities within 21 days.
The Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams stressed that only individuals and businesses that meet the legal requirements and regulations stipulated by South African laws will be permitted to operate businesses in the country.
“We need to think bigger and look at the broader picture if we want to deal with the challenge and not only target one aspect of the challenge,” the Minister said.
Ndabeni-Abrahams said municipalities on their own cannot verify the authenticity of all businesses and individuals. She said they do not have the capacity to conduct identity authentication and hence they were bringing in other departments, like the Department of Home Affairs.
“Everybody running a business in the township, in the village, whether it’s a butchery or a wholesale, you have a responsibility to go and register your business. We appeal to South Africans not to take the law into their own hands,” the Minister said.
National disaster
South Africa’s National Disaster Management Centre has, in terms Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, classified the recent uptick in foodborne illnesses across the country as a national disaster.
This was announced by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Thembi Simelane, during a media briefing held in Pretoria on Thursday.
This after a spate of foodborne illnesses as a result of several factors have claimed the lives of some 22 people including children this year and left others hospitalised.
Since September this year, at least 890 incidents of foodborne illnesses have been reported.
Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has acknowledged the challenges in addressing ongoing deaths and infections linked to foodborne illnesses.
This as Gauteng police have opened an inquest docket after a five-year-old boy died on Wednesday in Diepkloof from suspected food poisoning.
Motsoaledi explained that President Ramaphosa recently announced a critical step to combat these deaths, making the death of any child aged 12 or younger a notifiable condition.
Previously, such deaths were not categorised as notifiable. However, implementing this measure requires amending regulations, which is still in progress.
Motsoaledi addressed calls to shut down spaza shops until the issue is resolved, stating that the problem extends beyond these establishments.
“This organophosphate is widespread in our communities. It’s not only spaza shops. It’s sold at taxi ranks, old-age pension payout points, by hawkers in the streets and even on trains, so it’s all over and I don’t think [we should] target [just] one area,” he explained.
The Minister further explained that investigations into the source of the contamination include a look into the five manufacturers of Terbufos, an organophosphate pesticide intended strictly for agricultural use.
“The Department of Agriculture is going to follow up on the five manufacturers of Terbufos to see through their processes where a leak could have happened such that Terbufos gets into a community, whereas it was supposed to stay only in agriculture, in the fields. So that’s one of the things that’s still going to happen,” Motsoaledi said.
Challenges in linking shops to deaths
While some spaza shops have been found to store Terbufos, the Minister explained that legal action requires definitive evidence linking these shops to specific deaths.
“When 84 spaza shops in Naledi were inspected, Terbufos was detected in three. Swabs from counters and food storage areas tested positive. However, without proof that food linked to a child’s death was purchased there, prosecution may not hold in court,” he said.
Motsoaledi said that detectives are continuing investigations to establish these links, but in the meantime, authorities may close shops found with Terbufos as a precautionary measure.
He said government remains committed to addressing the crisis and ensuring accountability, but the process demands both thorough investigation and adherence to legal frameworks.
