Govt pulls out big guns to solve ‘food poisoning’ puzzle

 

South Africans on social media have lambasted government over its latest statement on the recent spate of alleged food poisonings, saying it’s a little too late for a response.

The country has been dealing with cases of learners either getting sick or dying after allegedly ingesting snacks from spaza shops owned by foreign nationals.

Six learners from Naledi, in Soweto, are the latest victims of the scourge that has the country worried and up in arms, with some South Africans accusing government of neglecting the issue.

However, the national health department has moved to dispel the assertions.

“Last week, NatJoints met to analyse this situation and after careful analysis, recommended that the Department of Health should coordinate all these investigations involving various institutions and bodies because in the final analysis, whatever is happening eventually leads to ill-health or even death,” says the department.

Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, says NatJoints is currently treating the recent deaths as a national security threat.

He says the various state organs that are working on the issue believe that a chemical agent is behind the children’s illness.

He says they have roped in the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to assist in identifying the source of the poisonings. The Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metros have also deployed their environmental inspectors to unravel the mystery.

The Minister also raised concern over the limited number of environmental health inspectors the country has, saying it is another problem that needs to be addressed.

Recent suspected food poisoning cases that didn’t result in deaths were those of 74 grade 12 pupils in the West Rand; 25 cases of primary schoolchildren in Bronkhorstspruit; 47 Rapelego Primary School pupils in Hammanskraal and dozens of other learners who were also rushed to hospital in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

 

 

Social media users are urging government to tackle this issue with the urgency it commands.

This is a national crisis, we don’t want these foreigners in our communities. All their shops must be closed that’s it

— SnowBlind (@SnowBlind774) October 21, 2024

✊🏽it is definitely Treasonous

— Boss Man🇿🇦 (@NgamlaJo) October 21, 2024

If you cared enough about the black people in this country, this wouldn’t have happened, we have been urging with government to deport illegal immigrants and you turned a blind

Yall are looting state funds to secure your homes and childrens while we are left out here to die

We…

— DR SHIYAKLENGA🛂 (@Dr_Shiyaklenga) October 21, 2024

We want a family meeting to be addressed accordingly on this urgent matter

— Nema Jnr 🦂👑 (@KingNema_Jnr) October 21, 2024

Strict control measures against this spaza shops owners

— Buang- A.K.A- Retweeter Specialist (@Mabokisi) October 21, 2024

Ziyaphela ingane zethu kukutya izinto ezithengiswa ngabo my friend 😩😩. Mabahambe Nkosi sekwanele manje . pic.twitter.com/8Hvx2WCXpK

— Khanyisile Jamani (@Jamani_Khanyi) October 21, 2024

Plan Of Action ithini?🤔

— SanphuSA® (@SanphuSA) October 21, 2024

Plan is simple, close the foreign supermarkets and send them back where they came from. Inspection my foot, when children are dying in schools

Sies you can’t play with our lives like that, or let us protect our children then, useless government pic.twitter.com/RgHzDUUezG

— Daivy Mag (@daivymag) October 21, 2024

What is this nonsense?

“South Africans must decide to not buy”
“South Africans must demand to see the legal documentation before buying from spazas”
“We can’t just close every illegal foreign spazas” pic.twitter.com/QWKVpVOPXa

— m e r c e d e s (@Nothando__K) October 21, 2024