Given the number of food-borne diseases and deaths the province has been experiencing from food poisoning and expired food, Lenasia and the entire Gauteng province must be ready to comply with the bylaws that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is enforcing.
The province has seen a large number of kid fatalities in recent weeks, particularly those who were hospitalised or died as a result of the widespread foodborne illness outbreak. Food purchased at Spaza Shops is the cause of all of this.
According to statistics, as of January of this year, there have been 441 cases of food contamination overall, with 23 fatalities. Children between the ages of 6 and 10 make up the bulk of the cases.
The province of Gauteng has received complaints from Ekurhuleni, which has recorded the most incidents, followed by West Rand. The majority of fatalities were reported from Johannesburg, with Ekurhuleni coming in second.
Reports have proved that organophosphate was detected in seven postmortem reports out of the 19 deaths. A reporting form is being created for use by community health clinics, schools, and hospitals to guarantee accurate reporting in this area. “I would like to express the Gauteng Provincial Government's deepest sympathies to the families who have lost their beloved children,” said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi
Lesufi met with the difference cities Executive Mayors, Members of Mayoral Council, Speakers, Chief Whips, Heads of Department and Municipal Managers to discuss the provincial approach on the implementation of by-laws and regulations for operation of spaza shops in the province on Sunday, 10 November 2024.
Everyone in the meeting had agreed that tackling these problems calls for an all-encompassing strategy that includes stronger laws, better enforcement of current legislation, and greater public education about the possible risks of buying from unlicensed spaza shops and informal traders.
To guarantee a standard approach, it has been agreed that all councils in municipalities must adopt the new Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) national department bylaws, which will provide a comprehensive explanation of how to register a firm and conduct business.
“We are going to start weekly stakeholder engagement and consultations. We are further starting the process of re-registration of spaza shops” said Lesufi.
He added MEC for Economic Development, Lebogang Maile and all MMCs will develop a template of reregistration of business especially businesses that were involved in illness and deaths of our children. In this regard, municipalities have a crucial role in ensuring the enforcement of by-laws. They are also instrumental in overseeing the informal sector, primarily through municipal policies and regulations governing informal trading.
Lesufi further explained that some of the immediate interventions that were agreed on were to include implementation of enforcement and compliance to ensure adherence to relevant regulations and standards. Instituting food safety educational and awareness programmes.
“The meeting further recommended that municipalities, in addition to enforcing by-laws, they must implement a comprehensive strategy which will include education and training for spaza shop owners and staff on food safety practices. This will include proper food handling, storage, and cooking techniques. Municipalities are expected to establish a system for regular health inspections by local health authorities to ensure compliance with food safety regulation. They must provide feedback and support to help shops improve. In addition, they must launch community awareness campaigns to educate customers about food safety, signs of spoilage, and how to report unsafe practices,” further he expressed.
Lesufi explained that law enforcement will move with speed to close shops that do not comply. Government is aware that the informal sector is a vital component of our economy as it affects people's livelihoods, provides opportunities for many who would otherwise be marginalised, and is essential for tackling the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
He further exaggerated it is, the responsibility of informal traders to trade in accordance with legal requirements and in a manner that promotes public health and safety. The government has found that some of these informal retail outlets often operate without proper licensing/certificates of acceptability and other regulations. They also found that they sell a variety of products, including food and household items, that do not meet safety standards.
The Gauteng City Region will render a joint, integrated, and coordinated business regulatory protection programme at identified locations to ensure maximum impact with the following objectives:
• To develop a unified, integrated and structured programme of intervention – uniformed interpretation and enforcement of regulations.
• To roll out an integrated multi – stakeholder programme and compliance monitoring inspections in various areas across the province, to ensure compliance of businesses and eliminate the influx of substandard and unsafe goods in the consumer markets.
• To ensure synergy and maximum impact by pulling business’s regulatory services resources together across spheres of government.
• Assisting business and prospective business owners to formalize their businesses and observe general hygiene practices in food handling, preparation and storage
• Encouraging businesses to comply with relevant legislation.
• Ensuring good governance and ethical business practices, by promoting and maintaining an effective and efficient regulatory system within the province.
During the meeting they ended with Members of the Executive Council and Mayoral Committees will embark on a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Programme on an urgent basis. This is the commitment of the province and it's municipalities to assist in maintaining the law and order while safeguarding public health and consumer rights.
The province and its municipalities seek to safeguard customers against potentially hazardous or subpar products by implementing laws governing trading operations and product standards. Additionally, the team will update the media on Sundays and meet with all municipalities every Saturday..
“We call on Gauteng residents not to buy foodstuffs that have reached the expiry: use or sell by dates. When buying groceries please take your time and check the dates before buying. Please call the emergency health care number on 012 3456789 to report shops that sell expired goods, Lesufi concluded
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