Expired food scandal: Mpumalanga farmer granted bail

A farmer arrested on Wednesday in Charl Cilliers, Mpumalanga, for allegedly repackaging and distributing expired and rotten food that was destined for human consumption to various retailers, was granted bail.

Pieter Johannes Grobler (30) was released on R8 000 bail after appearing in the Secunda Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

According to the Hawks’ spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, the suspect’s case was postponed to March 27 to allow for further investigations to be conducted.

“The Hawks received some information from a reliable source about the health hazard activities on the farm. They activated role players from the SAPS and Govan Mbeki Local Municipality health inspectors. During the visit to the farm, they uncovered two warehouses with four cold rooms that were loaded with food, including meat, chicken and dairy products. All the recovered food was either rotten or expired,” he says.

Nkosi adds that the court also ordered Grobler to report at Charl Cilliers SAPS every Monday between 08:00 and 18:00.

“Grobler was also instructed by the court to surrender his travelling documents to the investigating officer until it issues a different order,” he says.