South Africa GNU sees +1,000 businesses shut down in less than a month

South Africa has shut down 1,041 mom-and-pop stores in a bid to stop people from consuming pesticide-laden food, which has led to the deaths of 38 children across the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's government also extended a deadline to register the stores, known as spaza shops, to 28 February 2025 in a bid to give itself time to prepare to regulate the stores, Velenkosini Hlabisa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said in a briefing on Wednesday.

The death toll from children consuming poisoned food has risen to 38 from 22 a month ago, Tebello Mosikili, police deputy national commissioner said at the same briefing. Three adults have also died.

Chemicals such as Terbufos - meant for agricultural use - are often used in the stores as a pesticide to control rodent infestation in townships. Improper handling of the chemical results in the poison leaching into food items.

Ramaphosa plans to strengthen regulations and protocols for tracing, repacking and selling pesticides, insecticides and food. Fifteen health experts have also been appointed to a ministerial panel, and asked to develop medium-to-long-term prevention measures to curb the incidence of food-borne illnesses in the country, Hlabisa said.

There have been 890 reported incidents of food-related illness across the nation's nine provinces, Ramaphosa said on 15 November.