The City of Joburg MMC of Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, has heeded the call to confront a Pakistani national to clarify claims made on a video that has since gone viral on social media.
Tshwaku was in Fordsburg, where he unpacked the context of the video and requested to meet owners of spaza shops in and around Joburg to verify their suppliers of goods and deal with the issue of selling expired goods and counterfeit products.
In the video, an enraged Pakistan can be heard making rants which he said to Tshwaku were directed to the individual intimidating their business.
It was explained that the video was not meant to incite violence but a cry for help as shop owners claimed there was someone who regularly demanded money from them.
In another video shared by Tshwaku on X, the Pakistani nationals said failure to offer money led to their children being kidnapped.
A picture of the alleged collector was handed to Tshwaku, who promised to escalate the matter to the police.
“If you know all the owners of the spaza shops in Gauteng, we want to check their distribution centres, the type of food and where they are getting it and to also put up rules,” said Tshwaku.
He said he would meet shop owners following the deaths of two children who died after allegedly eating biscuits and drinking juice purchased at a local foreign-run spaza shop.
“MMC will today hold a meeting with some of the spaza shop owners around Joburg. This also comes after toddlers lost their lives following food poisoning after consuming chips and sweets bought from a local shop,” he said.
The incident has sparked various reactions, with many calling for the closure of spaza shops while others suggested stringent regulations to ensure the safety of buyers.
The Star recently reported about ATM’s concerns about the recent events of poisonous foods being sold in shops owned by undocumented foreign nationals.
Party spokesperson Zama Ntshona said: “This heartbreaking incident underscores the urgent need for stricter food safety regulations and rigorous inspections of all food items sold to our people, particularly in the townships, where such cases are becoming increasingly prevalent. It is the duty of our government to ensure the safety of its citizens, which extends to the food they consume.”