The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries, Makhi Feni, has welcomed the pronouncement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that spaza shop owners have 21 days to register their businesses.
In a statement issued by the Parliamentary Communication Service, Feni said it was reassuring that those found to have sold poisonous foods that led to the deaths of children will be closed.
“This is not punishment for foreign nationals; this is getting officials to do what they are paid daily to do. The crisis did not have to get to the proportions it had reached. All that was needed was enforcement of the law,” he said.
President Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Friday, where he announced decisive measures to address the recurring foodborne 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.
The President outlined three critical interventions to be implemented with immediate effect, which are to get hazardous pesticides off the street, protect children from exposure to these substances, and prevent future outbreaks.
To ensure compliance, the President issued a directive that all spaza shops and food-handling facilities must register with their respective municipalities within 21 days.
READ | Spaza shops implicated in child deaths to be shut down
He emphasised that any shop that is not registered within 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed.
The President further said the investigations that have taken place do not suggest any deliberate campaign to poison children in the country.
Feni said the potential this crisis had to turn South Africans against foreign nationals was real and concerning.
“In some instances, shops were looted, and genuine community protests were hijacked by criminal elements. We are, however, concerned about seeing spaza shop owners dumping what looks like expired food,” Feni said.
He urged municipal officials to act on this presidential directive with integrity, avoiding bribes or any form of corruption.
Feni stressed that the aim is to permanently prevent the deaths of children caused by consuming unsafe snacks. – SAnews.gov.za
