SA shuts down 1,041 stores amid food poisoning crisis linked to pesticides

South Africa has shut down 1,041 spaza shops to curb pesticide-contaminated food, linked to 38 child deaths. President Ramaphosa extended the registration deadline for these stores to February 28 and plans stricter regulations on pesticides and food safety. A ministerial panel of health experts will develop long-term solutions for food-borne illnesses..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..The seventh BizNews Conference, BNC#7, is to be held in Hermanus from March 11 to 13, 2025. The 2025 BizNews Conference is designed to provide an excellent opportunity for members of the BizNews community to interact directly with the keynote speakers, old (and new) friends from previous BNC events – and to interact with members of the BizNews team. Register for BNC#7 here..By Ntando Thukwana.South Africa has shut down 1,041 mom-and-pop stores in a bid to stop people from consuming pesticide-laden food, which has led to the deaths of 38 children across the country..President Cyril Ramaphosa's government also extended a deadline to register the stores, known as spaza shops, to Feb. 28 in a bid to give itself time to prepare to regulate the stores, Velenkosini Hlabisa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said in a briefing on Wednesday. .The death toll from children consuming poisoned food has risen to 38 from 22 a month ago, Tebello Mosikili, police deputy national commissioner said at the same briefing. Three adults have also died. Chemicals such as Terbufos — meant for agricultural use — are often used in the stores as a pesticide to control rodent infestation in townships. Improper handling of the chemical results in the poison leaching into food items. .Ramaphosa plans to strengthen regulations and protocols for tracing, repacking and selling pesticides, insecticides and food. Fifteen health experts have also been appointed to a ministerial panel, and asked to develop medium-to-long-term prevention measures to curb the incidence of food-borne illnesses in the country, Hlabisa said. .There have been 890 reported incidents of food-related illness across the nation's nine provinces, Ramaphosa said on Nov. 15..Read also:.On the food poisoning & spaza registration issue: GG AlcockSpaza shop crackdown sparks debate on food safety and township economies – GG AlcockJustice vs. regulation: Balancing safety without criminalizing peaceful trade – Zakhele Mthembu.© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

SA shuts down 1,041 stores amid food poisoning crisis linked to pesticides

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