Vigilance urged as learner dies after eating food bought at spaza shop

A Grade 10 girl from Orange Farm has tragically died after allegedly consuming food purchased from a local spaza shop near her home.

According to the Gauteng Department of Education, the learner reportedly fell ill on Saturday shortly after eating the food and was rushed to a nearby clinic, where she was sadly certified dead.

The school was officially notified of the incident on Monday.

Gauteng Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, has since raised concern over the ongoing dangers posed by unregulated food vendors.

He urged communities to be vigilant and avoid buying food from unauthorised sources, warning of the continued threat to children’s health.

“It is unfortunate that we are still experiencing tragic outcomes from the consumption of unauthorised or unverified food items. We urge communities to be more cautious, and protect our children from avoidable harm, especially from unauthorised spaza shops,” said Chiloane.

This latest incident comes as the country reels from last year’s national trauma, where at least 22 children died between September and November due to contaminated snacks bought at informal shops.

Gauteng alone recorded 23 child deaths and over 440 food contamination cases in 2024.

Investigations later revealed that a highly toxic agricultural pesticide known as Terbufos — commonly referred to as halephirimi — was behind at least six of the child deaths in Naledi, Soweto.

In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa established a ministerial committee to investigate and tackle foodborne illness cases tied to suspected food poisoning in communities. Written by Lebohang Ndashe