During the meeting with the Minister of Health, the Commission expressed its concerns about the impact of foodborne illnesses on children and human rights, particularly the right to an environment that is not harmful to health or well-being. The Commission emphasized the importance of increasing public communication to inform communities about ongoing efforts to address these cases and to identify their root causes.

In response, the Minister provided a comprehensive overview of the government’s interventions. These include regulating the registration of spaza shops and their owners, as well as improving the storage and handling of food products sold by spaza shops. The Minister outlined collaborative efforts undertaken by the Department of Health and other government agencies to trace the source of the illnesses, including the collection of swab samples from over 80 shops in and around Gauteng.

The Commission is encouraged by the Department's response, particularly the immediate closure of implicated spaza shops and the strengthening of regulations and protocols concerning the handling of pesticides and insecticides. The Minister also urged the Commission to undertake outreach programs to promote respect for human rights among individuals handling food products.

The Gauteng Provincial Office further met with the Gauteng police commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, to discuss and assess the measures taken by the SAPS as a response to the crisis. The Gauteng Police Commissioner advised that for the period 1 April 2022 a total of 21 Inquest cases pertaining to 32 deaths have been registered where the cause of death is suspected to linked to food-borne illnesses.

In addition, the Commission plans to launch a national investigation into food safety and the prevalence of foodborne illnesses in South Africa. The Commission will continue monitoring the situation and engaging various state actors to ensure the implementation of measures that adequately address this issue. Moreover, the Commission will work to hold accountable those who neglect their constitutional duty to protect citizens from consuming unsafe food.

Finally, the Gauteng Provincial Office will engage with the Gauteng Provincial Government and municipalities to assess the responsiveness of the institutions following the pronouncement by the President, Cyril Ramaphosa, that spaza shop owners had 21 days to register their spaza shops. The engagement will include the Gauteng Department of Education, Gauteng Department of Economic Development, Gauteng Department of Health and Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. The municipalities will be the City of Tshwane, City of Johannesburg and City of Ekurhuleni.

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ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

For more information, please contact Mr Wisani Baloyi on 081 016 8308 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.