Several organisations and township residents have expressed mixed reactions to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent address on food safety in South Africa.
On Friday (15 November), Ramaphosa outlined interventions to address food poisoning incidents linked to pesticide sales in townships and informal settlements.
Among the key measures were the immediate closure of spaza shops associated with the deaths of children, and the re-registration of all spaza shops within 21 days. Businesses that fail to register within this period or do not meet health standards will be shut down.
The President’s address comes in the wake of a rise in food poisoning cases across South Africa. Ramaphosa confirmed that since September, 890 incidents of food-borne illnesses have been reported nationwide, with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal bearing the highest number of cases.
Speaking on VOC’s Sunday Live show, Bulelani Balabala, founder of the Township Entrepreneurs Alliance, voiced support for shutting down non-compliant spaza shops but raised concerns over the lack of clarity on what exactly is required from businesses.
“We support every call to shut down spaza shops or tuck shops that are consistently evading compliance because, at the end of the day, that puts our people, especially our children, in danger,” Balabala said.
“But equally, the 21-day requirement for shops to get registered isn’t clear. Within those 21 days, what will be put in place? Given that we’re heading into the festive season, will authorities have the capacity to manage the volume of applications? There’s no clarity on whether provisional approvals will be granted during the application process.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Pexels
