‘Food related child deaths are politically motivated’

Foreign spaza shop owners in Soweto have claimed that recent food-related child deaths are politically motivated.

This comes as they queue at the Jabulani Civic Centre to register their businesses, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive to register within 21 days or face closure.

Many shop owners deny responsibility for the deaths, arguing that their businesses are being unfairly targeted. One shop owner says, “That thing I don’t know, maybe they are political, I’m not sure, this is politics.”

“I don’t believe the kids are dying from the snacks from the shop. Something is behind all this—politics or so. Why bulala abantwana kphela,’ added another.

Meanwhile, the death of another child in Diepkloof, reportedly due to contaminated food, has heightened tensions.

Operation Dudula’s president, Zandile Dabula has called for the temporary closure of all spaza shops.

“What we want now is to compel the government to make sure that they close all the spaza shops while they are busy with the process of registration,” Dabula says.

In Orlando, where residents had set a December 1 deadline for foreign-owned spaza shops to shut down. Community leader Trevor Kgatle vowed action. “We are going to take a stand as a community. We will fight for our rights to trade in this informal market. If the state cannot help us, we will help ourselves,” Kgatle says.

The family of the child who died in Diepkloof has requested privacy as they await post-mortem results to confirm the cause of death.

Gauteng child dies from suspected poisoned snacks

Story by: Simphiwe Mabhena