5-year-old dies in Diepkloof in suspected food poisoning incident

Gauteng police have opened an inquest docket after a five-year-old boy died on Wednesday in Diepkloof from suspected food poisoning.

According to reports, the child was vomiting and had a runny stomach before being taken to a local clinic where he was declared dead.

Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the cause of death is unknown at this stage, pending autopsy results.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said last Friday that “spaza shops and other food handling facilities” had 21 days from the date of his address to ensure they were registered in the municipalities in which they operated. He ordered the closure of all spaza shops implicated in the deaths of children from food poisoning with immediate effect. 

In his address, Ramaphosa said 22 children had died from food poisoning. Since the beginning of September 2024, there have been 890 reported incidents of food-borne illnesses in all provinces.

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