President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the closure of spaza shops linked to the deaths of several children.
In a televised address on Friday, he said 890 incidents have been recorded across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Free State and Mpumalanga.
“The spaza shops which have been implicated in the deaths of children will be closed with immediate effect,” he announced.
A lack of proper food storage and possible food contamination have been identified as possible causes of the recent deaths.
The president promised a crackdown of businesses that flout regulations.
“Integrated multidisciplinary inspection teams will undertake compliance inspections of food handling facilities, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. Non-compliant businesses and shops linked to any poisoning incidents or found to unlawfully stock hazardous chemicals will be shut down,” he said.
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Picture: Thamsanqa Mbovane/GroundUp
