The year 2024 is one Sekai Ndalimane will not forget for a long time. Her five-year-old nephew Siyabonga Ndalimane was among more than 20 children who died after consuming snacks from spaza shops.
Siyabonga died after allegedly consuming snacks from a foreign-owned spaza shop in Diepkloof, Soweto, on November 20, two days before his Grade R graduation ceremony.
“We are unhappy and defeated. This is a sad reality for us. It has not registered that he is gone. This child was supposed to graduate, and he was excited.
“The clothes he was supposed to wear at his graduation are in the wardrobe. His passing was not something we expected to be so soon,” said Ndalimane.
In October, six children died in Naledi, Soweto, from allegedly eating snacks bought from a spaza shop.
Thabisile Xaba, the grandmother of Owami, 6, and Hope Xaba, 9, who all died on October 30, said the family was not coping with the loss. She said the children’s mother was devastated.
“She is not okay, and she has not been well since her children died. She has lost so much weight in such a short space of time because of how difficult this is for her,” said Xaba.
In a bid to curb this scourge of foodborne illnesses, the government has set up joint inspections across the country, led by multi-disciplinary teams comprising experts and officials from various government departments, state bodies and law enforcement agencies.
There have been more than 890 reported incidents linked to foodborne illnesses since the beginning of September.
Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that initial findings indicated the deaths were caused by Terbufos, an organophosphate chemical that is registered in South Africa for agricultural use. It is not allowed to be sold for general household use.
Due to the scourge of foodborne illness incidents and deaths, the National Disaster Management Centre classified foodborne illnesses as a national disaster.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the spaza shops implicated in the deaths of children would be closed with immediate effect.
Ramaphosa ordered that all spaza shops and other food handling facilities be registered within the municipalities in which they operate within 21 days from November 15.
The deadline has been extended to Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
Any spaza shop not registered by the deadline and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed.
