Soweto Family Demands Accountability After Child Poisoned by Tuck Shop Treat

Unsafe Snacks: Soweto Family Demands Accountability After Child Poisoned by Tuck Shop Treat 


By Jabulani Chauke 

Image credits: spaza shops sa

SOWETO – A Mapetla family is demanding tighter food safety regulations for informal traders after their 8-year-old son was hospitalised in critical condition, allegedly from consuming contaminated snacks bought at a local spaza shop.


According to reports by Eyewitness News  the mother, Tshidi Molobela said her son fell gravely ill last Friday after eating chips bought from a neighborhood tuck shop. The boy, who was enjoying the last day of his school holidays, began vomiting and eventually lost mobility. He was rushed to Chiawelo Clinic and later transferred to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where doctors reportedly found symptoms consistent with poisoning. She also mentioned that the heart of her son stopped multiple times during treatment.


“He was purple on the stomach, and parts of his body were turning green,” Molobela recalled. “Doctors suspected poisoning immediately. I feared we were losing him.”


The incident has sparked renewed concerns over food safety in South Africa’s informal retail sector. Many community members rely on spaza shops and tuck shops for daily necessities, especially in low-income areas, but oversight remains minimal.


While the exact cause of the poisoning has not yet been confirmed, the Molobela family has opened a case at Moroka Police Station, urging authorities to investigate the shop and take swift action to prevent similar tragedies.


Health advocates and community leaders are now calling for stricter inspections of food products sold in spaza shops and better consumer education on identifying expired or tampered goods.


“We can’t continue to have our children’s lives endangered by snacks that should be safe,” said one concerned resident. “It’s time for the government to intervene.”


The Gauteng Health Department has yet to release a formal statement, but investigations are underway.

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