President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged swift government action in response to the tragic deaths of children from food poisoning, emphasising that their safety is a top national priority, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Speaking at the District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo at Umnini Sportfield in Umgababa, KwaZulu-Natal, the President led attendees in a moment of silence for the young lives lost in recent weeks.
According to the South African Government, on Friday, President Ramaphosa expressed deep condolences to grieving families over recent child deaths from food poisoning, pledging swift government action to prevent further tragedies.
‘We have in the last few weeks lost a number of school children, who have died as a result of some chemical that has been found in the food or snacks that they have been eating and buying from Spaza shops.
‘This matter is being addressed at the highest level.
‘It’s been raised by a number of parents and our people, and I fully understand the concern.
‘We join these families who have lost their children. It is very painful for a parent to lose a child..We pass our condolences to them,’ the President said.
President Ramaphosa said he would fully address these matters to provide a clear direction and ensure that no further children die needlessly.
‘All these matters are going to be fully addressed this coming week, and I will be able to then make a statement on how we are going to deal with this matter to enable us to ensure that no further children die needlessly in our country.
‘So, this matter is being handled at the highest level, and we’ve got our various departments and agencies working around the clock.
‘I’ve directed that I should get reports as soon as possible so that we can take action to prevent further deaths of the young people of our country.’
The President urged parents to remain vigilant, encouraging them to ensure their children consume food only from trusted and safe sources.
The President announced that arrests have been made over hazardous chemicals stored at food outlets, with stricter spaza shop licensing regulations now enforced.
‘We are also looking at the matter form an agricultural point of view.
‘I have directed [Agriculture] Minister Steenhuisen to do proper research with regards to these chemicals.
‘The Minister of Police is also seized with this matter, and we are working around the clock to enable us to look very closely at the incidents that have been happening.’
The President said the Minister of Health is also seized with this matter and has requested that several agencies test the various chemicals from a health point of view.
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