Cape Town - Fridges used as bedrooms, rat infestations and rotting chicken for sale are among the shocking discoveries made by City inspectors this week, as they cracked the whip on spaza shops and take-aways in ward 56, Kensington.
The team, led by ward councillor Cheslyn Steenberg, issued various fines and temporarily closed two shops amid the serious violations.
Steenberg, who discovered the violations committed by shop owners, started a project last year to encourage owners to follow the relevant laws and become compliant with the City of Cape Town’s health and safety requirements.
“At the time the main issue was the expired foods being sold to the public.
“So we hosted a series of public meetings with shop owners where they were given the relevant information and encouraged to follow the laws.”
Steenberg again called a meeting on Friday, warning and encouraging shop owners that the inspections were imminent and to make sure they are compliant.
But he said it fell on deaf ears as they made the concerning discoveries.
“At two of the take-aways we found some sickening things. At the one outlet we found that the chicken cutlets they were selling had clear mould on it and even the muffins on sale.
“The rats were basically living with them and the stench smelt like decomposing flesh. The smells were unbearable and the vermin was everywhere.
“Both outlets were found to have no form of pest control and were closed temporarily and given a list of things to correct. We started this before the 21-day notice issued by the President because we identified the problem some time ago.
“The biggest issue is that all government entities who are in control of ensuring the compliance of these outlets do not have the man power to ensure inspections are completed.
“We have warned that the next phase of inspections will also include officials from the fire department as well as building inspectors.’’
President Cyril Ramaphosa two weeks ago issued a notice to spaza shop owners, saying they had 21 days to become compliant amid a spate of deaths related to food borne illnesses across the country.
Ramaphosa highlighted various child deaths, saying: “A number of people are becoming severely ill and even dying after eating contaminated food.”
Since the start of September, there have been a total of 890 reported incidents of food-borne illnesses across all provinces.
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have been the most affected, with Limpopo, Free State and Mpumalanga also recording dozens of incidents.
Ramaphosa further warned that any shop that is not registered within the 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed.
Earlier this month inspectors were called to Kensington after a suspected case of food poisoning affecting a five-year-old child was reported to Steenberg.
At the time, the child's grandmother told the Cape Argus the little boy had fallen ill after consuming a mouldy pie.
The child had loose stools, was vomiting, and taken to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross, said following a joint operation in Maitland on Wednesday, some shops were partially prohibited from sales.
She said health legislation allows for the closure of a premises if an environmental health practitioner observes circumstances that is believed to pose an immediate and direct threat to health.
A full report on the operation is expected to be made available today.
“The City has encountered cases where Certificates of Acceptability (COA) have been falsified or duplicated.
“These are seen as fraud and is handled accordingly as a criminal case.
“By the start of this week, none of these cases were reported during the current period.
“We are, however, concerned with a new trend where South African residents apply for COAs on behalf of foreigners - this trend is currently being investigated,” Van Der Ross said.