It was halephirimi. So read our headline on Friday, revealing that a chemical found in rat poison was the cause of death for a group of children in Gauteng last year.Â
Tests showed that organophosphate, a toxic chemical found in rat poison, was found in the bodies of children who died in Naledi and Tsakane respectively.Â
The children were said to have consumed snacks from nearby spaza shops shortly before they fell ill.Â
The news came in the wake of five children, also from Naledi, who died last week, allegedly after consuming snacks from a spaza shop.Â
In a country where there are ever existing tensions between locals and spaza shop owners, many of whom are foreign nationals, the situation is a powder keg.Â
The reality is that there are a number of questions we must all grapple with in order to make meaningful interventions to protect ourselves and our children.Â
Tests conducted by the City of Joburg revealed that the snacks eaten by the children of Naledi prior to their deaths last year did not contain any poison.
This raises questions about how they could have ingested halephirimi? What was the chain of contamination between the rat poison and the items, food or otherwise, to which they would have been exposed?Â
We know that while halephirimi is illegal, it is easily accessible and openly sold across the province. Its powder form makes it easily transmittable on surfaces.Â
Little to no care is taken by its users to avoid cross contamination with other items to which people, especially children, would be exposed to.Â
We do not know whether the spaza shop from which the children bought snacks had the substance, nor do we know if it could have been from any of their homes.Â
We may never know this. But these are questions we must ask going forward if we are to prevent more deaths.Â
Spaza shops owners must take all steps necessary to protect food items from contamination, including their packaging.Â
Where they fail, law authorities must be capacitated to act accordingly to hold them accountable. Families must take responsibility to protect children from exposure to dangerous substances.Â
Contamination may not be intentional or immediately evident. But it is avoidable, and failure to take appropriate steps to protect our children has devastating consequences.Â
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