A multidisciplinary government team led by various ministers will brief the media today in Pretoria on the government's action plan to address foodborne illnesses. This follows a recent outbreak that has claimed the lives of more than 20 children.
The affected children reportedly fell ill after consuming snacks allegedly purchased from local spaza shops, sparking nationwide concern over food safety standards.
Spaza Shop Registrations Extended
In Soweto, spaza shop owners are expected to gather today at the Jabulani Civic Center. The centre, which had set yesterday as the deadline for spaza shop registrations, extended the process after running out of application forms.
The Gauteng Spaza Shop and Landlord Forum Chairperson, Veli Khumalo, emphasized stricter regulations for undocumented individuals operating spaza shops. “All these undocumented won’t own a spaza shop. We will make sure they go, they don’t qualify. But the documented who got asylum seekers (status), we will help them to register their shops as the person in the sale,” Khumalo stated.
This comes as authorities intensify efforts to formalize and regulate the informal trade sector to ensure food safety and compliance with the law.
The media briefing is expected to provide updates on investigations into the outbreak and outline measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.