A two-year-old girl has died, and another was rushed to the hospital in Taung, North West, after eating snacks allegedly bought from a spaza shop in Randstad village.
This was confirmed by the North West MEC for education, Viola Motsumi, who is due to send a team led by a psychologist to provide psychosocial assistance to the family.
The grade R pupil from Tshipo Mangwegape Primary School is fighting for her life in the hospital, while the toddler from the same family died after falling ill due to consuming the food.
Motsumi said the incident occurred after the pupil’s family bought snacks for the two children.
Heartfelt condolences
“Tragically, the grade R learner was rushed to the hospital, where they are awaiting laboratory results to determine the cause of their illness,” said Motsumi in a statement.
Motsumi expressed her deep concern, conveying heartfelt condolences to the family.
“It is deeply disheartening to witness such a tragic loss of life and the suffering of a young learner due to suspected food-borne illness,” said Motsumi.
“I extend my sincere condolences to the family and wish the grade R learner full and speedy recovery.
“This incident underscores the urgent need for stricter oversight of food safety in our communities to prevent such tragedies from happening again.”
She urged parents, guardians, and community members to exercise caution when purchasing food items, particularly from informal vendors.
She said her department will also engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure a thorough investigation into the matter and to enhance food safety measures in the province.
890 reported cases
This happened three days after Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, called for stronger collaboration between traditional leaders and the government to solve the rapid spread of food-borne illnesses across the county.
Recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa said since the beginning of September, there have been a total of 890 reported incidents of food-borne illnesses across all provinces.
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have been the most affected, with Limpopo, Free State, and Mpumalanga also recording dozens of incidents.
Ramaphosa said over the last few weeks, food-borne illnesses have claimed at least 22 lives across the country.
