By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Tempers flared in Alexandra after a 10-year-old girl died after consuming suspected contaminated food, bought from a spaza shop.
Community members attempted to demolish and destroy stock stored in the spaza shop.
On Saturday, the young girl bought a packet of snacks from a nearby spaza shop.
Shortly after eating them at home, she complained of breathing difficulties and, despite efforts to assist her, succumbed to what community members believe was poisoning from the snacks.
Fullview understand that the child’s mother and her 4-year-old son also had some of the snacks.
When her condition deteriorated, the family rushed her to the nearby Masakhane clinic.
While at the clinic, the mother also began experiencing severe stomach pain. Her 4-year-old son, also fell sick.
Both mother and son were later taken to Edenvale Hospital.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi called for calm as investigations continue.
“An inquest case is being investigated after the incident.”
“A team of police investigators in collaboration with health experts and other role players will be investigating the allegations made concerning the food consumed by the victims before falling ill, “said Nevhuhulwi.
Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi said a search is underway to determine the source of ongoing food poisoning.
An ongoing investigation involves the National Consumer Commission (NCC), South African Police Service (SAPS), Department of Agriculture, Environmental Directorate of the National Department of Health, and health officials from Johannesburg.
Motsoaledi added the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to the team, in part because of its role in finding the source of a large Listeria outbreak that occurred in the country between January 2017 and July 2018.