The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape have called for provincial priority to prevent further loss of life after a four-year-old girl died after consuming contaminated food on Sunday.
The girl and her uncle were hospitalised after consuming the mince that was prepared at their home.
The provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said Galeshewe police were investigating the matter.
“It is reported that the four-year-old and her uncle ate minced meat that had been prepared in the home,” Sam said.
He said police would be investigating the circumstances surrounding her death, which included performing an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Sol Plaatje Municipality Councillor, Willie Erasmus said the party visited the family of the deceased girl on Tuesday and confirmed the uncle remains in a critical condition in hospital.
“We are deeply saddened by the incident and call on the health department in conjunction with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to leave no stone unturned in the ensuing investigation,” Erasmus said.
On Tuesday, an informal council meeting was called by the Sol Plaatje Municipality.
“We will comply with the request made to councillors to submit lists of tuck shops in their wards to the Speaker’s office. We will also avail ourselves to participate in scheduled oversight inspections,” Erasmus said.
The DA said it will also be requesting the mayor of the region to extend an invitation to customs and excise officials from the South African Revenue Service to help deal with illegal goods, in addition to all relevant provincial and local departments.
“We further want terms of reference for the upcoming tuckshop inspections to include location details, with the proximity of sewerage spills, illegal dump sites, and electricity kiosks. The latter follows the electrocution of a learner outside a school last week. While the enforcement of environmental health regulations has been neglected over the years, Sol Plaatje municipality needs to own up to its long-standing failures and action an urgent and comprehensive plan to ensure that our children are safe and have access to safe consumables,” Erasmus added.
He further called on the communities to remain calm and take the necessary precautions and ensure that their actions in response to this tragic incident remain within the confines of the law.
Earlier this month, four children died in Soweto, Gauteng, as a result of suspected food poisoning.
In a separate incident, the Limpopo Department of Education was investigating a case of food poisoning at the Makahlule Primary School in Malamulele after 22 cleaners were taken to a local clinic after they started vomiting.
IOL