PRETORIA, Nov 16 (NNN-SANEWS) — President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced decisive measures to address the recurring food-borne illnesses that have claimed the lives of at least 22 children across the country.
These include the immediate closure of spaza shops implicated in the deaths and stricter regulations to protect communities.
Addressing the nation from the Union Buildings in Pretoria, President Ramaphosa outlined three critical interventions to be implemented with immediate effect.
“Following the special meeting of Cabinet, we have decided to make the following interventions: The first intervention is to get hazardous pesticides off the street, the second critical intervention is to protect children from exposure to these substances, the third critical intervention is to prevent future outbreaks. The following measures will be implemented with immediate effect.
“The spaza shops which have been implicated in the deaths of children will be closed with immediate effect. Non-compliant businesses and shops linked to any poisoning incidents or found to unlawfully stock hazardous chemicals will be shut down,” the President said.
To ensure compliance, all spaza shops and food-handling facilities must register with their respective municipalities within 21 days.
“Any shop that is not registered within 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed,” President Ramaphosa said.
The President’s address comes in response to 890 reported cases of food-borne illnesses across the country, with Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Free State, and Mpumalanga the hardest hit.
In recent weeks, food-borne illnesses have claimed the lives of at least 22 children. Last month there was a major food-borne incident in Naledi, in Soweto in which six children died, the youngest of them being six years old.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases was requested to conduct scientific tests and has established that the deaths of the six children in Naledi can be directly attributed to a highly hazardous chemical used as a pesticide known as Terbufos.
The President said few words can adequately convey the sadness and pain of the nation.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families as they go through the pain and the anguish of losing their children. Losing a child is something no parent should ever have to endure,” he said. — NNN-SANEWS
