Number of children dying of poisoning keeps rising

Mabona said on Monday, another food poisoning incident was reported at Setsing Primary School where 29 pupils were affected after eating snacks bought from vendors inside the school premises.

Mabona said parents were up in arms but the department had engaged with them.

Following the deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto, health inspectors were sent to the area to take swabs from various spaza shops.

Friends Njabulo, Zinhle, Isago, Monica and Karabo died on October 6 while Katlego died a week later.

Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the cause of death was organophosphate.

However, it was not known what the source of the insecticide was.

Lesedi Mulaudzi  fell ill after allegedly  eating snacks she bought from  the spaza shop. She died in Alexandra, Johannesburg, on Saturday. Her mother and four-year-old brother, who also ate the snacks, also fell ill and were taken to hospital.

Gauteng acting premier and MEC for roads and transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela on Tuesday visited the Owami, Hope and Lwethu’s families.

She said: “As a mother I am pained. I feel like this is an attack on our children and surely we need to do something about it. As a society, we must work together and make sure we deal with the challenge. Different government departments have been investigating.

“We are encouraging parents to encourage kids not to buy things that are not benefitting them health-wise. The chips that they buy from spaza shops have no health benefits, more than anything we are losing them to these snacks,” she said. 

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