Two children, aged seven and ten, tragically passed away on Thursday after allegedly consuming snacks purchased from a spaza shop in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria. The heartbreaking news was confirmed by the parent of one of the deceased children.
According to reports, three children became seriously ill several hours after eating the snacks and were rushed to Steve Biko Academic Hospital for treatment. One child died early Thursday morning, while the other passed away later that night. The third child remains in the intensive care unit in critical condition.
The Department of Health has refrained from commenting on the incident until a full post-mortem report is received, as stated by an official to SABC News.
This incident has sparked growing calls for the closure of foreign-owned and illegally operated spaza shops in the area, as the country grapples with an increasing number of deaths linked to contaminated or allegedly poisoned food sold at local spaza shops.