Despite President Ramaphosa calling about two weeks back on all vendors, especially those selling food items to school kids to first register their business so that it is health compliant, vendors in the Laudium area, who were not compliant were still spotted this week selling food items outside schools.
Reports were also received that at least two Islamic private schools in the area were still selling foodstuff at their tuckshops without the necessary compliant certificates. This follows the President declaring a state of emergency concerning the ongoing deaths of mainly school going children, after they were believed to have eaten poisonous substance found in food products that were sold mainly at spaza shops. While government officials are still trying to figure out what has sparked the death of at least 23 children and another 900 reported ill, after eating the food products, it is believed that a highly toxic rat poison that is banned for domestic use in South Africa could have been the contributing factor. The Laudium Sun this week spotted at least five vendors selling outside schools, with the local police turning a blind eye on these vendors.
When approached for comment as to why were they still selling food products without first being compliant with the local authorities, three of the vendors refused to answer and in fact became hostile towards the Laudium Sun team. However two of the vendors who were spotted outside the Hillside Primary School, Edith Bebeda (46) and Josephine Ramukhuba (78), shared their struggles and perspectives in trying to earn an honest living to support their families. Edith, explained to the Laudium Sun, the importance of her earning an honest living, “I sell to make a living and I have been doing this over 20 years of my life. Every month, I work hard to pay for my children’s school fees and other needs. We are told we need permits to sell, but it’s not easy to get them,” she said. Edith emphasised that the government should support small traders trying to earn an honest living, instead of chasing them away. Josephine, reflected on Edith’s views, stating that vendors are only trying to survive. “I sell in front of Hillside Primary School because that is where I find customers. If they chase us away, where will we go? We have not been approached by any person from the municipality or the police explaining us about this new permit thing, but now we are being punished.” Principal of Hillside Primary School, Abdul Hamid Salleh Mohamed told the Laudium Sun, “We have explained to our learners and have even sent out circulars to all parents to also explain to their children, not to buy any food products outside the school without, without parental guidance. We are very much disturbed by the high incidence of deaths amongst young kids after eating products bought from spaza shops.
Unfortunately we cannot control what happens outside the school premises and after school hours, thus we cannot chase any hawker away that is selling outside the school. We were told that there would be police patrols and officials from the Health Department that would monitor the hawkers and spaza shops, ensuring that they are health compliant and following the law, I do not know what had happed about it.”