Tuck shops run by foreigners all over the Mangaung township was closed today after shops like these were raided by community members last night.
This comes after 43 children from the Ihobe School was treated at the Pelonomi Hospital on Thursday for food poisoning, presumably contracted from the snacks they had eaten. All 43 was treated and discharged from hospital.
Gregory Ntatisi, executive mayor of Mangaung, visited the school where the learners had fallen ill this morning.
Incidents of learners contracting food poisoning was reported all over the the country in the last few weeks. Incidents in Welkom, Marquard and that of the 43 learners locally, have highlighted the seriousness of the unregulated selling of produce.
Dulandi Leech, DA spokesperson on education in the Free State Legislature, said the Free State government needed get ahead of any further food poisoning incidents before more lives were endangered.
“It is unacceptable that, in light of the increase in food poisoning incidents, stricter measures have not yet been put in place to guard against the possibility of an outbreak. These incidents can have long-term health consequences, particularly in children, and it cannot be allowed that this situation becomes a regular occurrence,” she said in a news release on Thursday.
She said the Department of Health must conduct stronger oversight when it comes to individuals and businesses that sell items for consumption. Unannounced inspections, setting rigorous standards for food operators and initiating programmes to train food handlers running informal businesses could help reduce the risk of possible contamination and the spread of foodborne illnesses.
Polediso Motsoeneng, the ANC Free State provincial secretary, said in a statement they implored community members not to purchase consumable products from illegal establishments.
He said preliminary investigations into the outbreak in Welkom suggested that:
- products are from Turkey, Zambia, Pakistan, Canada and South Africa;
- a barcode on one of the products reflects a different address from the one of registration, which indicates non-compliance;
- another barcode was registered in Canada, but the product was made in China, another form of non-compliance;
- a barcode on one of the products was not registered;
- some of the products were manufactured in Pakistan and the barcode is also not registered;
- there are products which belong to a Zambian enterprise; and
- there are unbranded sweets without product description and barcodes.
