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Spaza Shop Crackdown Follows Tragic Deaths Sparking Community Outrage
The Myburgh Foundation Community Safety Unit, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and environmental health practitioners, conducted an operation in Toekomsrus on October 24 to address spaza shops selling expired goods.
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The operation involved various stakeholders, including Gauteng Safety Wardens, Randfontein traffic police, the District MMC for Health, and members of The Department of Social Development.
During the operation, damaged products expired consumables, and items that had been improperly repackaged were confiscated. The focus was on raising shop owners’ awareness of the importance of providing safe and compliant products to the community.
Randy Christian, founder and operations manager of the Myburgh Foundation, emphasised that non-compliant shop owners received notices from the relevant authorities to ensure future compliance.
The operation was prompted by public concerns about expired and contaminated goods and the tragic deaths of at least three children. In one case, two children aged two and three lost their lives, and two others were hospitalised due to food poisoning after consuming sweets and chips from a vendor in Westonaria. In another incident on the West Rand, a Grade Three learner died from alleged food poisoning after buying a packet of biscuits from a local spaza shop in Tshepisong. Another learner also required medical attention. These incidents have raised concerns about the safety of goods sold in spaza shops and the need for stricter compliance and monitoring.
Source: Crackdown on spaza shops after deaths, community outrage
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Photo: Supplied by Randfontein Herald
