Residents Torch Foreign Owned Spazas After Mpumalanga Boy, 6, Dies, Cops Heighten Visibility

Residents Torch Foreign Owned Spazas After Mpumalanga Boy, 6, Dies, Cops Heighten Visibility

  • Community members in Delmas went on the rampage as they burnt down spaza shops belonging to foreign nationals
  • The vigilantism was in response to a six-year-old's death from suspected food poisoning after consuming snacks
  • The police arrested two residents and charged them with public violence while increasing visibility in the community
Mpumalanga cops alert in response to mob action after boy, 6, dies, allegedly from snacks from spaza
Police monitored the situation in Delmas after the community torched spaza shops in response to a six-year-old child's death. Images: @JacaNews, Tshepiso Mametela
Source: UGC

NELSPRUIT — Police heightened visibility in Delmas, Mpumalanga, when an angry community went on the rampage, burning down two foreign-owned spaza shops after a six-year-old boy died from suspected food poisoning.

The incident, late on Thursday, 28 November 2024, came after enraged residents took to the streets, indiscriminately going after spazas that they suspected.

Delmas residents torch foreign-owned spazas

Provincial police spokesperson Captain Magonseni Nkosi said the victim had allegedly come home complaining of stomach pains.

"His parents [noticed] white foam [coming from] his mouth. He told them that he had bought and eaten biscuits from a local spaza," said Nkosi.

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"The child was rushed to the hospital, where the medical staff declared him dead on arrival. Afterwards, residents set alight two foreign-owned spaza shops in retaliation."

Police arrested two suspects and charged them with public violence. They are expected to appear in the Delmas Magistrate's Court on 2 December.

Visibility has since been intensified in the area.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced intensifying efforts to improve food safety nationwide during his annual National Council of Provinces (NCOP) address on 28 November.

He said authorities had visited nearly 200,000 spaza shops since announcing crackdown measures on 15 November.

"Multi-disciplinary teams have been conducting inspections of spaza shops across the country. More than 1,000, including supermarkets and warehouses, have been shut down," said Ramaphosa.
"The authorities have confiscated large quantities of goods and issued numerous fines for violations of by-laws."

Spaza shops closed, fines issued

In related news, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that over 1,000 spaza shops, among others, had been shut down since he announced measures to curb food poisoning incidents.

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Over 1000 spaza shops closed since food poisoning saga, SA not impressed

Ramaphosa pointed out that the spike in cases after the government declared it a national threat warranted urgent and decisive action.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Tshepiso Mametela avatar

Tshepiso Mametela (Head of Current Affairs Desk) Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience writing for online and print publications. He is the current affairs Head of Desk at Briefly News. He was a news reporter for The Herald, a senior sports contributor at Opera News SA, and a reporter for Caxton Local Media’s Bedfordview and Edenvale News and Joburg East Express community titles. He has attended media workshops, including the crime and court reporting one by the Wits Justice Project and Wits Centre for Journalism in 2024. Email: tshepiso.mametela@briefly.co.za