MIDDELBURG — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality has called for stricter

monitoring of food safety standards in the area following incidents that raised concerns about food sold to residents and learners.

This follows a recent complaint after a customer had noticed mould on the kota he bought from a restaurant in town on Thursday,

19 March. Following this incident, is one that sent shock waves throughout the entire municipality when more than 40 learners of

Ekwazini Secondary School were reportedly fallen ill after eating snacks during a lunch break at the school on Tuesday, 17

March.

“EFF strongly condemned the irresponsible sale of suspected contaminated food at local spaza shops within our communities,”

said party chairperson in Steve Tshwete, Joseph Ngubeni.

EFF also said after receiving reports that the children became ill after consuming snacks, its MMC, Joana Mthombeni, from the

Public Safety office in the municipality immediately intervened and visited the identified shops to address the matter with

urgency.

“As part of this intervention, the MMC invited the Food Safety Department of the municipality to conduct inspections and ensure

that all unsafe, expired, or questionable products are immediately removed from the shelves.

“The MMC also visited Ekwazini Secondary School to engage with the school management and assess the well-being of the

affected learners. We are relieved that the children who consumed the snacks are currently stable,” said the statement.

“This incident raises serious concerns about the quality and safety of food products sold in our communities, particularly those

easily accessible to school learners.”

The EFF maintains that all businesses operating in the communities must respect the health and dignity of residents and comply

fully with food safety regulations. “Any business found selling unsafe food products must face the full consequences of the law.”

The EFF also said it will continue to monitor the situation and work with municipal authorities to ensure that food safety

standards are upheld and that communities are protected from harmful products.