Apartheid economy continues to haunt South Africa

On November 3, Lesedi Mulaudzi, a 10-year-old girl from Alexandra, a sprawling township in Johannesburg, South Africa, passed away from suspected food poisoning after eating snacks bought at a “spaza shop” – a type of informal convenience store that emerged in Black communities during the apartheid era.

According to the provincial Gauteng Department of Health, Lesedi died at the Alexandra Community Health Centre, where she was admitted to the emergency department in a critical condition. Her mother and four-year-old brother, who had also consumed the same snacks, were hospitalised but eventually recovered.

After Lesedi’s death, her father recalled the traumatic events of the day, saying the victims started to experience extreme pain and discomfort roughly one hour after consuming the snacks.

“My daughter came from a toilet complaining about chest pains, we took her to Masakhane clinic and on the way, she was unable to breathe. When we got to the clinic, I dropped her off in the emergency room. We were called after some minutes to be informed of her passing.”

Lesedi’s unfortunate demise took place amid a succession of similar occurrences associated with spaza shops across the province and the country as a whole, sparking widespread outrage.

Speaking at a press conference on November 10, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced that the province recorded 441 instances of food poisoning, resulting in 23 fatalities, a significant number of which transpired within schools and local communities, mainly among children between the ages of six and nine. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made an official declaration on November 15, indicating that it is mandatory for all spaza shops and food handling facilities to register with the municipalities where they are located within 21 days.