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By Johnathan Paoli
The African National Congress is demanding that spaza shop owners who are responsible for poisoning children across the country be apprehended.
At least 19 children have died and over a thousand have been hospitalised.
On Friday, the Gauteng government was the first to act, announcing that spaza shops in the vicinity of schools would be shut down, and they would have to follow strict regulations before being allowed to operate again.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told a march in Tshwane on Friday that the police needed to act urgently.
“We must arrest the dogs that are killing our children,” he said.
The Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries welcomed the ANC’s pronouncement at a press briefing on Thursday that spaza shops across the county must be re-registered.
Committee chairperson Makhi Feni emphasised the committee’s strong support for the ANC’s commitment to bringing order to the sector, which has long been a source of concern due to health risks and illegal activities.
“We are pleased to see the government take decisive action. Our primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of South Africa’s children and the vulnerable communities they live in. Reports of poisonous snacks reaching our schoolyards have now reached a crisis point,” Feni said in a statement on Friday.
The contamination of food has been caused by the presence of organophosphate chemicals in some parts of the country. These highly toxic substances are commonly used as pesticides.
The most significant number of poisoning cases have been in Gauteng, with 437 so far.
Feni also called for a ban on the practice of renting homes to illegal immigrants for the purposes of operating spaza shops.
He stressed that this practice has led to unsafe and unregulated food products being sold to vulnerable communities, contributing to the growing health crisis.
“There have been cases of violence and exploitation tied to foreign ownership of spaza shops. This includes the collection of ‘protection fees’ that often result in fatalities. This is unacceptable, and we believe the government must act swiftly to stop these practices and ensure that all spaza shops are fully registered and compliant with South African laws,” Feni said.
ANC Women’s League secretary-general Nokuthula Nqaba said the league was concerned about the disproportionate impact on women street vendors.
She acknowledged that many of these vendors, who were often mothers, sisters and grandmothers, have fallen victim to the contamination crisis.
Nqaba called for immediate action to both address the health emergency and support the affected vendors.
“We recognise that these women are not just vendors; they are caregivers and community members. We stand in solidarity with them and call for stronger food safety regulations, as well as training programs to help them identify contamination and uphold food safety standards,” Nqaba said on Friday.
Both Feni and Nqaba have called for an inter-agency approach, where health, education and law enforcement work together to prevent future incidents.
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