City of Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya has announced the activation of the Disaster Operations Centre Level 2 in an effort to tackle the rising foodborne illness crisis.
This is in response to the growing concerns surrounding unsafe food handling practices and contamination at spaza shops and informal food outlets that has resulted in scores of children dying across the country, with Gauteng being one of the hardest-hit provinces. The consumption of poisoned food has resulted in 22 children fatalities.
Hazardous pesticides responsible for the deaths
Ramaphosa revealed that the outbreak was linked to hazardous chemicals used as pesticides.
He said the National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) had been tasked with conducting scientific investigations. The inquiry found that the deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto, were due to exposure to Terbufos, a highly toxic pesticide used for agriculture purposes.
Moya said the Disaster Operations Centre will allow for a swift and coordinated multisectoral response to manage and mitigate the situation effectively.
She explained that the centre will be working closely with various key city departments, including health, environment and agriculture management, emergency services, economic development and spatial planning and the Tshwane metro police among others.
Immediate intervention during crisis
They will focus on managing the crisis through immediate intervention, ongoing monitoring, and the development of long-term solutions.
“The Disaster Operations Centre will ensure swift action to inspect spaza shops, confiscate hazardous substances and enforce compliance with municipal health and safety regulations.
“Daily situational reports will provide updates on the number of inspections conducted, cases addressed and actions taken. This will ensure transparency and allow us to track progress effectively,” said Moya.
The City of Tshwane also aims to find long-term solutions to strengthen food safety practices in the informal economy.
As part of this effort, the municipality also aims to introduce a new online registration system for spaza shops and informal traders.
This comes after the president announced that all spaza shops should be registered by December 6, while those that have tested positive for the harmful pesticides should shut doors.
“The city will roll out training programmes on food safety, digital literacy and regulatory adherence to empower informal traders with the tools they need to operate safely and sustainably.
“We recognise the critical role that spaza shops play in Tshwane’s economy and communities. However, the mayoral executive is unapologetic in that we will not compromise on our efforts to ensure that all spaza shops comply with the city’s bylaws,” said Moya.
She said public health and safety were top priority, with a particular focus on protecting children.
