City of Johannesburg Speaker Colleen Makhubele has called for an investigation into the food sold in Naledi, Soweto.
Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle
- Johannesburg’s Speaker called for an investigation into the food sold in Naledi, Soweto.
- Four children fell ill after eating food bought at a shop on Sunday.
- Two young boys died and two girls are fighting for their lives in hospital.
The City of Johannesburg is calling for an investigation into the food sold at a spaza shop in Naledi, Soweto, after the death of two boys.
The boys ate biscuits and drank juice, which was bought at the shop.
The two boys died on Sunday, while two girls are fighting for their lives at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
The two Grade 1 boys attended Kgauhelo and Karabo primary schools.
The Speaker of the City of Johannesburg, Colleen Makhubele, alleged the biscuits had expired.
She, however, called for calm.
Makhubele said:
We are all deeply disturbed and calling for the investigation to be concluded speedily, for us to get clarity on why and how the shop was able to operate and sell expired products to their community. We are also seeking answers from health inspectors, which unravels a deeper issue of the monitoring of food sold in our townships and informal communities.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said he was devastated.
According to the department, the children’s health deteriorated soon after they had eaten the biscuits and drank the juice.
Chiloane said the incident served as a grave reminder to parents and guardians to exercise caution with regard to the safety and well-being of students.
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“It is imperative that we remain vigilant and ensure that our children are not exposed to harmful substances. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to investigate this matter thoroughly. We wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the affected families and wish the two hospitalised learners a speedy recovery,” the MEC said.
The link between the children’s deaths and the snacks they consumed is still under police investigation.