Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa is set to visit an eight-year-old boy currently in intensive care after consuming contaminated snacks purchased from a spaza shop in Mapetla, Soweto.
According to City of Johannesburg spokesperson Virgil James, the child began vomiting and complained of severe stomach pain shortly after eating the maize-based snack. He also experienced a sudden loss of mobility. The boy was rushed to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit.
James confirmed that the City’s Environmental Health Department responded swiftly, closing the implicated spaza shop on Monday, 7 April 2025.
“Inspectors conducted an interview with the family and discovered that the child had purchased a maize snack shortly before falling ill. The snack’s empty packet was collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. We are currently awaiting the test results,” James said.
The incident has raised concerns over food safety standards in informal retail outlets, with calls for tighter regulation and routine inspections of spaza shops across the city. Minister Hlabisa's visit is expected to highlight government efforts to ensure accountability and protect public health.