A Durban mother has raised the alarm after allegedly falling ill from consuming a packet of maize chips she believes may have been poisoned or laced with drugs.
Melissa Pillay, a 29-year-old stay-at-home mother from Ethekwini, contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) on Tuesday morning, reporting that she experienced adverse symptoms shortly after eating a packet of Tomato & Chilli-flavoured maize chips bought from a local tuckshop.
According to Pillay, she had purchased eight packets of the chips—costing R1 each—as a lunchtime snack for her three young children. Before distributing them, she consumed one herself and immediately felt unwell. Upon inspecting the packet, she discovered a suspicious white substance inside.
Concerned for her children’s safety, Pillay immediately alerted RUSA. Officers quickly contacted the children's primary school and instructed staff to retrieve the chips from the children's school bags before they could be consumed.
When RUSA officials requested to examine the product, they learned that the tuckshop employee had allegedly taken both the opened and a sealed packet from Pillay. During questioning, the shop employee, who claimed the business is owned by an Ethiopian national not currently on the premises, denied selling the chips in question.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the nature of the substance found in the snack, and further investigation is underway to determine any potential health risks or violations.
No arrests have been made at this stage.