By REGINALD KANYANE
10 November 2024- The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in Taung conducted and inspected different tuckshops across the area on Friday. This follows the national outcry regarding foreign-owned tuckshops allegedly selling musty goods.
Some of foreign-owned tuckshop owners are accused of endangering the lives of locals by selling expired products. Recently, the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) said it is deeply concerned by the alarming rate of food poisoning incidents that have claimed the lives of many children – with 19 lives lost and 437 affected in Gauteng and also affecting more than a thousand of children across the country.
The ANCWL Secretary-General, Nokuthula Nqaba said the cause of the deaths is linked to organophosphate contamination, and this has had the most impact on children between the ages of 4-9 years old. Nqaba said this is not just a public health crisis, but it is a call for them to act with both urgency and compassion.
“We recognise that among those impacted by these incidents, are women street vendors most of whom are our sisters, mothers and grandmothers, striving to make an honest living by selling snacks and foods to our communities. It is essential to acknowledge that these vendors find themselves vulnerable to this tragic contamination of food that threatens their children, their livelihoods and their dignity.
“They are not only sellers, but are caregivers and community members who wish to provide safe, nutritious options for our children and families – and their struggle is our struggle. As the ANCWL, we stand in solidarity with these women. We are committed to ensuring that they are empowered with the knowledge and resources necessary to uphold food safety standards and the tools to detect contamination,” she said.
Nqaba further said they advocate for immediate action through stronger food safety regulations and support for training programs that can educate vendors on safe food handling practices, identifying contamination, and the unseen dangers posed by harmful substances like organophosphates that have so devastatingly crept into the communities.
She added that, therefore, they urge the government to declare a state of emergency and take immediate action to safeguard public health.
“We demand thorough investigation to identify sources of food poisoning and contaminated products. Public awareness is needed to intensify education campaigns on food safety and handling practices. Support for affected families is needed to provide medical and financial assistance.
“Interagency collaboration is needed through health, education, and law enforcement departments. They must work together to prevent future incidents. Immediate closure of spaza shops selling contaminated food is needed. Furthermore, we call upon local health authorities to work collaboratively with these vendors during health inspections and food safety blitzes to ensure that they are not disproportionately penalised or
stigmatised,” said Nqaba.
She said they must foster a spirit of unity, treating them not as culprits but as partners in their journey towards a safe and a healthy environment for all. Nqaba said instead, let them create an environment that supports their efforts to
provide safe food options, while safeguarding the children’s health.
“Let this crisis be our call to action and a rallying cry to secure our communities against threats to our health and dignity. The ANCWL is dedicated to mobilising all efforts and our communities to collaborate on this pressing issue and to advocate for policy changes that protect our children and empower our street vendors.
“Together, let us create a safer food environment and ensure that the most vulnerable among us can thrive without the fear of contamination. In memory of our young lives lost, we commit to continue to work tirelessly to bring awareness to this
crisis, support initiatives that promote food safety, and uplift the voices of women street vendors who are integral to the fabric of our communities,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries, Makhi Feni said they welcome the pronouncement from the African National Congress (ANC) that the country’s spaza shops will be reregistered and any that are operating illegally will not be allowed to operate in the country.
“The committee welcomes this commitment and all other processes that are underway to restore order. Our interest is the safety of poor South Africans and their children. The report of poisonous snacks sold to our children has reached a crisis point.
“We would like the government to ban situations where homes are sub-let to illegal immigrants for purposes of operating spaza shops. Due to the undesirable effects of foreign ownership, like the protection fee and the massive killings over the collection of these monies, should be decisively dealt with. On Thursday, the ANC Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, announced that work was already underway to reregister spaza shops following the deaths of several young primary school learners and hundreds who have taken ill and nearly died.”
Feni said the government should ban foreign nationals from operating spaza shops and also maintain an updated register of people who sell at schools.
