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Ekurhuleni family loses two children to ‘contaminated snacks’
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Ekurhuleni family loses two children to ‘contaminated snacks’

Acting Gauteng Premier Kedibone Diale Tlabela visited the families of three Ekurhuleni children who died on Monday, allegedly after eating contaminated food.

The Xaba family lost two children last Wednesday, Hope, six, and her brother Owami, four.

Diale Tlabela outlined the measures taken to intervene at the affected school, adding that health inspectors had cleared the department of any wrongdoing after tests were carried out on the school nutrition program.

“There is a team that has been formed on the education side just to investigate spaza shops, as well as the school feeding (program). Health department inspectors have canceled school feeding.”

The brothers were allegedly part of a group of pupils at Sonqoba Primary School who fell ill last Monday, allegedly after eating snacks they had purchased.

Meanwhile, another 29 students from Setsing Primary School in Thokoza were rushed to a healthcare facility after falling ill.

According to the Gauteng Department of Education, the governing body and management of Setsing Primary School had allowed vendors to operate within the school grounds to avoid the risk of foodborne illness.

READ MORE: Gauteng Acting Premier in Katlehong Following Recent Cases of Food Poisoning

However, the department said it appeared that some of these vendors were selling expired products, which may have caused the group of students in grades 3 to 6 to become ill.

At the same time, Gauteng Finance and Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile reiterated his call for the president to intervene.

Maile joined acting Gauteng premier Kedibone Diale Tlabela in Ekurhuleni on Tuesday.

The MEC first made the call in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, on Monday while visiting the family of 10-year-old Lesedi Maaboi, who died under similar circumstances.

Maile said the government would stop at nothing to address the widespread problem.

“We would like the national government, especially the president, to consider declaring this a disaster because it is out of control. We have to do something drastic and change the situation.

“It’s just not right that we are always asked to respond to a crisis of this nature.”

Commenting on Maile’s visit to the family on Monday, Maaboi’s father Joshua said he felt indifferent that the government was too slow to offer a permanent solution while children in the communities remained at risk.

“Instead of doing this, they should do more to conduct proper inspections; Who runs the store and where did they get the stock from? I think that might help.”

He said his wife and son were recovering well in hospital after consuming the same snacks suspected to have caused Lesedi’s sudden death.

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