Spaza Shop Tragedy: One Child Dead, Two Others in Critical Condition

The eight-year-old boy from Mapetla in Soweto, who was hospitalised after consuming contaminated snacks from a local spaza shop, has been placed back on life support following a sudden deterioration in his health.

Doctors at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital had previously removed him from life support after seeing progress. However, on Tuesday night, his condition worsened when he experienced breathing difficulties, according to his mother, Tshidi Molodela.

“He is back to square one. I was shocked because the last time I visited him, he was breathing on his own,” she said.

The child has been in hospital since April 4.

North West tragedy deepens as second child fights for life

In a related incident, a 10-year-old girl from North West is also in critical condition at Mahikeng Provincial Hospital after consuming the same type of snacks that allegedly led to the death of her eight-year-old sister.

The girls had bought the snacks from a house near their route to school on April 11. Both became ill and were rushed to a clinic before being transferred to hospital. The younger child passed away the same afternoon.

“We are trying to be strong despite still mourning her younger sister, whom we buried on Saturday,” said the girls’ grandmother.

As these tragedies unfold, the Department of Small Business Development has officially launched a R500 million Spaza Shop Support Fund. The initiative is meant to uplift township and rural spaza shops owned by South Africans.

To qualify, shop owners must be registered with their municipality and comply with relevant business bylaws. Funding can be used for training programmes covering business skills, food safety, and digital literacy, with a maximum of R100,000 allocated per shop.

Criticism over training model for shop owners

Despite the fund’s intent, some shop owners are not convinced it will address the real issues. Bongani Mabuza of African Accent Spaza Shops criticised the training approach, arguing that it fails to meet business owners at their level.

“They bring in people with degrees who’ve never worked in a spaza shop to teach us how to run businesses we’ve built for years,” said Mabuza. “We need digital support, like setting up online stores—not lectures from outsiders.”

Mabuza warned that unless the training is adapted, it will be a waste of resources and do little to support long-standing local businesses.

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Sourced:Sowetan Live