Oscar Mabuyane Calls for Swift Investigation Into Porridge-Related Deaths, 3 Children Laid to Rest

• Three children passed away in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape after allegedly eating Top Score instant porridge
• Top Score instant maize porridge has been recalled in South Africa as a precaution after the three deaths
• Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane doesn't think the product or the retailer is to blame for the tragedy

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has called on police to finalise their investigation into the deaths of three children in the Mdantsane area.

Lithembelihle Bambela, 4, Iminathi Bambela, 1, and Live Ndudane, 1, died last week after allegedly consuming Top Score instant maize porridge. The children were laid to rest on Friday, 4 October.

Premier believes case is isolated incident

Speaking after the children's funeral, Mabuyane called for a serious investigation, saying that he doesn’t blame the product or the retailer.

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The Namibian-produced porridge was bought from a local Spar.

"If one wants to blame a product from a particular retail shop, then we should have seen an outbreak or even other people or children dying. This seems like an isolated incident,” the Premier said.

Mabuyane added that it was his view that neither the retailer nor the product are responsible for the deaths, but they would wait for the police to finish their investigation.

The product has since been recalled.

Porridge producer finds no links to deaths

Namib Mills, the company that produces Top Score instant maize porridge, said it found no evidence linking its product to the deaths.

"We wish to emphasise that, as of now, there is no evidence directly linking our product to this tragedy. At Namib Mills, we take any food safety allegations extremely seriously," said senior brand manager Marné Bouwer.

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While thorough investigations continue, they have recalled the product from South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Lesotho.

10 Children die from food poisoning

In a related story, Briefly News previously reported that 10 children had died from food poisoning in Gauteng since February 2024.

It was revealed that in the past nine months, about 207 cases were reported, with many coming from informal settlements.

Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said most food poisoning cases were attributed to snacks such as biscuits and potato chips.

Source: Briefly News