Lebogang Maile, MEC of Finance and Economic Development, will visit Soweto following recent unrest in Naledi and Tladi, when locals closed and looted foreign-owned spaza shops.
Following the unfortunate deaths of five youngsters from the region who apparently ate poisoned snacks purchased from one of these spaza businesses, outraged villagers launched Operation Dudula, targeting foreign-owned establishments.
Six youngsters devoured hazardous food purchased from a tuckshop purportedly owned by illegal foreigners, inciting outrage among neighborhood residents.
The tragedy took the lives of five young children aged six to ten, with a sixth in critical condition in the hospital.
According to sources, the youngster has been in the intensive care unit (ICU) since being admitted to the hospital on Sunday.
“I saw my child turning purple and grey right before my eyes while holding her,” the father of Zinhle Ida Maama, one of the five children killed, told The Star.
He went on to claim that by the time she decided to speak out about what happened, it was too late. “All I can say is my child suffered and whatever she had eaten was too much for her.”
Maile intends to visit the area in an attempt to mediate the situation.
“I will visit the affected areas (Soweto) this coming weekend to interact with spaza shop owners and informal traders,” the minister of commerce and industry stated.
Maile urged the community to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands in the midst of the tragedy involving youngsters who died after allegedly devouring contaminated snacks.
“We will intensify the Qondis’ Ishishini Lakho – Fix Your Business campaign, as a powerful instrument to crack down on non-complaint businesses across the province, especially in townships.”
However, frustrated community members claim they are living in dread for their own and their children’s safety, which has driven them to close tuckshops in collaboration with Operation Dudula, a group notorious for targeting foreign-owned companies and illegal immigrants.
Nomasonto Nkwanyana, the organisation’s regional coordinator, told IOL News that this isn’t the first time such an occurrence has occurred in the area.
“Last year, we were called by the community in Naledi for the same tragedy, where two kids died in a similar way.”
Nkwanyana accused the government of failing to address the recurring issue of illegal aliens selling harmful snacks.
“We feel betrayed by the government since our demands were ignored. “If the food inspectors were doing their job and checking if the tuck shops were complying, none of this would have happened,” she continued.
According to Nkwanyana, landlords that lend space to unauthorized foreigners must face consequences.
“Police must arrest landlords who let unauthorized foreigners in their yards and run tuckshops without proper documentation. They must be jailed because what they are doing is very unacceptable.”
Nkwanyana said that they had shut down at least 10 foreign owned tuckshops in the area since Sunday.
She continued, “We are asking landlords to reopen the shops themselves because their children are not working. How can they allow immigrants to work in their yards while their children are unemployed?
Angry local Davis Magolego mirrored Nkwanyana’s feelings, claiming that they felt abandoned by the government on the subject.
“We are so scared by this tragic incident and demand that all the spaza shops must be closed, because we don’t support rebels to loot our economy, worse by selling fake foods,” Magolego told the crowd.
Following the Naledi tragedy, Not In My Name International has urged all South Africans to close the nearest foreign-owned spaza stores.
Themba Masango, secretary general of the organization that combats gender-based violence in the country, conveyed his condolences to the deceased’s family.
Masango asked South Africans, particularly those living in townships, to band together and peacefully shut down foreign-owned tuckshops.
“It has become clear that we are on our own as South African citizens. The government of the day is standing on the sidelines, observing as simple spectators the continued biological warfare against South African bodies through the sale of food unfit for human consumption.”
According to him, the decision to close all spaza establishments operated by undocumented foreign nationals will not only save lives, but also return the township economy to its rightful owners.
