National government has classified foodborne illnesses as a national disaster and urged municipalities to adopt standard by-laws for rural and township economies.

The multidisciplinary ministerial team responsible for the national response to instances of foodborne illnesses says this will also go a long way towards dealing with the issue of rat infestations in communities, ‘which gives rise to the harmful use of dangerous and banned chemicals like pesticides’.

The ministerial team held a briefing in Pretoria yesterday, to provide progress made in interventions announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week.

The expedited implementation of standard by-laws for rural and township economies aims to ensure proper waste disposal, recycling, and cleaner business areas, addressing rat infestations and reducing harmful pesticide use.

“The National Disaster Management Centre has, in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, classified foodborne illnesses as a national disaster,” said Justice Minister Thembi Simelane.

The government said health experts will be appointed to serve on the Ministerial Advisory Committee.

Simelane said the committee will develop medium-to-long-term prevention measures to curb the incidents of foodborne illnesses in the country.

“The directive to notify the deaths of patients 12 years and under is a critical one and will be implemented as a matter of urgency. This will help us to understand the burden of disease and the population at risk in real-time, instead of waiting for a long period of time.

“The Department of Health is currently amending the Notifiable Medical Conditions Regulations such that the death of anybody 12 years and younger becomes notifiable,” she said.

The ministerial team said the shortage of environmental health inspectors is receiving urgent attention to capacitate all districts and metropolitan municipalities to effectively enforce inspections across the country.

Registration of small businesses and spaza shops

“We emphasise that legitimate traders meeting legal requirements can register businesses and trade in South Africa,” said Simelane.

She warned against South Africans aiding illegal foreigners to fraudulently register businesses, calling it ‘clear fronting’ prohibited by the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.