Parliament, Sunday, 17 November 2024 - The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences, and Creative Industries, Mr Makhi Feni, has welcomed the pronouncement by the President, Cyril Ramaphosa, that spaza shop owners had 21 days to register their spaza shops.
Mr Feni said it was reassuring that those found to have sold poisonous foods that led to deaths of our children will be closed. He said: “This is not punishment to foreign nationals, this is getting officials to do what they are paid daily to do. The crisis did not have to get to the proportions it had reached. All that was needed was enforcement of the law.”
President Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Friday where he said there was no evidence that foreign nationals deliberately targeted South African children. He announced that spaza shops needed to register within 21 days.
Mr Feni said the potential this crisis had to turn South Africans against foreign nationals was real and concerning. “In some instances shops were looted and genuine community protests were hijacked by criminal elements. We are, however, concerned about looking at spaza shop owners dumping what looks like expired foods,” said Mr Feni.
He called on municipal officials to attend to this presidential directive, without accepting drink money or being bought. “The task is to ensure that the death of children due to consuming snacks is stopped forever,” stressed Mr Feni.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, SCIENCES AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, MR MAKHI FENI.
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Name: Mr Sibongile Maputi
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Email: smaputi@parliament.gov.za
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