An eight-year-old grade 2 pupil from Thabisile Primary School in Diepkloof, Soweto, who had fallen ill last Wednesday after apparently eating biscuits bought from a spaza shop, died on Friday at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
While her exact cause of death has not been determined, and investigations are continuing, Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the psychosocial support unit was providing counselling to the girl’s family and to the pupils and staff, reports TimesLIVE.
After the recent deaths of at least 22 South African children countrywide – linked to suspected food contamination – the National Disaster Management Centre has declared foodborne illnesses a national disaster.
At the same time, reports News24, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced that the pesticide terbufos, which appears to have been responsible for the deaths, had been found in some spaza shops and might have been imported illegally.
He said the chemical, which was positively identified in three of the 85 spaza shops inspected in Soweto, had not originated from any of the five licensed entities authorised to manufacture the product in this country, and that what was found in those shops “differs quite significantly from the colour and texture of locally produced terbufos”.
TimesLIVE article – Primary school pupil in Soweto dies from suspected food poisoning (Open access)
News24 – Foodborne illnesses declared a national disaster
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Action plan launched to combat food poisonings in SA
Food poisoning kills 10 Gauteng children this year
430 EC school children to hospital after food poisoning
Gauteng Premier bans terbufos sales at spaza shops after poisonings