One spaza shop closed in Princess
Spaza shops inspection yield positive results in Princess informal settlement.
A joint operation led by the Roodepoort police, JMPD, the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Health and active community members resulted in the closure of one spaza shop in the Princess informal settlement for selling unwanted items.
The operation, held on December 4, was sparked by community concerns over food poisoning that has been plaguing the country and saw a total of six spaza shops visited.
During the inspections, two shops were found to have paraffin stored close to food items, which is a serious health hazard and contravenes health and safety regulations.
However, it was one spaza shop in particular that caught the attention of the inspectors. The shop was found to be selling unwanted items, which were not disclosed to the public. They promptly closed the shop, ensuring that the community was protected from potential health risks.
“We are deeply concerned about food poisoning, the sale of expired products and the overall quality of food sold to community members by local spaza shops owned by foreign nationals. As seen on media outlets, this is an issue plaguing us on a national, provincial and local level.
“Therefore as the community of Ward 85, we have called all departments that deal with compliance to assist us with today’s operation. We want to mainly check if our local shops have necessary certificates, are they complying with the law when it comes to the quality of food,” community leader Phosane Mngqibisa said.
A full report of findings will be done once received from the health department.
