The National Health Department has deployed 80 health inspectors to Naledi, Soweto, in a effort to investigate the cause of a series of food-borne illnesses there. This comes in response to the deaths of six children earlier this month, believed to have been caused by food poisoning.
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The Department, alongside various national agencies, is intensifying efforts to address public concerns and identify the source of these tragic incidents. Health Department spokesperson, Foster Mohale, says the government is working to uncover the root cause of these illnesses, amid a growing perception that the authorities are indifferent to the situation.
“SAPS detectives have been working around the clock to try unravel this mystery… the Environmental Directorate of the National Department of Health has also sent their Health Inspectors to check compliance with health regulations… The Department of Agriculture has also sent in their officials to check if the problem might not be emanating [from] their produce… The National Consumer Commission has also deployed senior officials to investigate the possibility of a breach of consumer protection regulations.”
He says the department has been working with the SAPS, the Agriculture Department, the National Consumer Commission, NATJOINTS and the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni municipalities, among others. He noted that these national bodies met with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases last week to map the way forward.
The situation has now escalated to a national security concern. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) is treating the surge in food-related illnesses as a potential risk to public safety.
Meanwhile, a “chemical agent” is believed to be the source of the contamination.
He says the deployment of health inspectors is part of broader inspections of local shops and food sources in Naledi. He further noted that the inspectors will work under the guidance of the NICD.
“At the end of the careful analysis, the teams came to a conclusion that we are dealing with a chemical agent and that this must be identified as a matter of urgency. A plan has subsequently been hatched to mount a systemic search for the agent causing this malady.”
The inspectors begun their work in Soweto on Monday.
#sapsGP Police in Naledi formed part of the multi-disciplinary operation which aimed at conducting compliance inspections at tuck-shops in Naledi and Tladi on 14/10. This follows after six kids died from suspected poisoning on 06 October 2024.
The operation resulted in the arrest… pic.twitter.com/ikdQ3lWJai— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) October 15, 2024
