Another alleged food poisoning incident claims a five-year-old boy’s life.
The boy from Diepkloof, Soweto, died after he allegedly ate snacks bought from a spaza shop owned by a foreign national on Wednesday, 20 November.
It’s alleged that he bought them in the company of a friend.
He apparently became sick 20 minutes after he consumed the snacks. The boy died after he was admitted to a healthcare centre.
Three other young boys are reportedly in a critical condition in hospital. It’s believed the kids also felt unwell after consuming snacks.
Ward Councillor Brenda Dammie said she’s been informed that other kids are still in hospital.
“We’ve been telling people to avoid buying from these shops. I said it two weeks ago that I don’t want to see kids die from snacks in my ward. Now, it’s happened,” Dammie said.
“We urge the community to stop buying from foreign-owned spaza shops. We can’t have our kids die every day. This is painful. We’re heartbroken.”
“Our problem lies with homeowners where these shops are renting. We can’t force them to close down the shops. They know what to do and we’ve shown them the dangers we face of having these spazas operating.”
Community members have closed the alleged spaza shop.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the cops have opened an inquest docket following the death of a five-year-old in Diepkloof on Wednesday.
“According to reports, the kid was vomiting and had a runny stomach before being taken to a local clinic where he was declared dead. The cause of death is unknown at this stage, pending autopsy results,” Nevhuhulwi said.
