This City of Cape Town has provided an update on the illegal butchery that was uncovered in Mfuleni on Wednesday, 13 November, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Following a tip-off from a member of the public, the City’s Environmental Health Service participated in an integrated operation in Mfuleni, where an inspection of the premises was conducted.
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It was revealed that a makeshift butchery was attached to a residential property, with sausages being processed and packaged in unsanitary conditions, which could pose a significant health risk to consumers, according to a press statement issued by the City.
Environmental Health Practitioners took meat samples from the makeshift butchery for chemical analysis to test the levels and type of additives in the sausage.
Environmental Health Practitioners are currently mandated to conduct visits to food premises at least twice a year. However, if problems are identified or complaints are received, then more regular inspections are carried out until the problem is fully resolved.
The Mfuleni premises were situated in a residential area and were not listed nor identified as a business.
‘We are also aware of the allegation that dog food was being used to produce the sausage – contrary to footage circulating on social media, our EHPs found no evidence of dog food on scene,’ said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayco Member for Community Services and Health.
‘We ask that the public please allow the investigation to run its course and to refrain from sharing misinformation,’ Van der Ross added.
A fine was issued in terms of health legislation, and the case was prepared for court in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act.
Six suspects, who were involved in the operation, appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 15 November, according to News24.
Mohammed Abdi Kadiye (34) and Mohammed Ali Ahmed (36) were charged with contravention of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972.
The Act refers to the illegal production and operation of a butchery that produces meat products without the necessary legal certificate.
Kadiye and Ahmed, both Somali nationals, were also charged with employing illegal foreigners. This is in contravention of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.
Three other suspects, Kondwani Mwezhande (29), Smart Chipod (25) and Abduaallah Abdinour, were charged with the breach of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.
This would mean that Mwezhande and Chipod, both Somali nationals, along with Abindour, a Malawi national, were illegally in the country without ‘the necessary papers’.
One of these suspects was a minor, and could therefore not be named.
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Picture: JP Smith / Facebook
