A mother who purchased meat from a makeshift “butchery” that was shut down for manufacturing sausages in unsanitary conditions has described becoming ill with her son after consuming the product in Mfuleni, Cape Town.
Methembe Fuyana told TimesLIVE Premium that she purchased sausage from the store on Sunday and ate it with her 11-year-old son.
“Immediately, we started having stomach aches and it severely affected me. I ran more than twice to the bathroom. My son followed hours after. I had a runny tummy almost the whole of this week. I took [my son] to the clinic on Tuesday and he was given medication.”
She said the “unlicensed food manufacturing operation” was raided by police, city health and other officials on Wednesday. During the raid in Lukhanyo Street the processing and packaging of meat was found to be happening in deplorable conditions.
Video footage of the raid shared on social media showed city officials and police crime intelligence members inspecting and pointing out health hazards. The “butchery” was found to have brown cracked walls and unwashed zinc counters, with spices being mixed in large white 20-litre plastic bins.
In the footage, workers are seen lying on the ground, one of whom was barefoot in an apron. Voices in the video can be heard expressing shock at the conditions, with comments such as “it’s dog food” and “look at how they spice it”.
The packaging of the sausage parcels depicted the name “Diamond Wors” along with a — now confirmed — fraudulent claim to be Halaal.
Muslim Judicial Council Halaal Trust CEO Zakariyah Philander said consumers purchasing Halaal food should know that certified meat carries a legitimate logo with an accredited certifier.
“The MJC Halaal trust has a logo with a unique number that allows us to trace that product and allows the consumer to check the validatory of the Halaal status of that product,” said Philander.
“There have been instances where the trust has come across and seen that people have just grabbed the logo from the internet that just says ‘Halaal’ either in Arabic or English, and anyone can just print it out and use it anywhere.”
Ward councillor Ernest Madikane said the illegal “butchery” could have affected “numerous residents who purchased contaminated products.
“We welcome the tip-off from members of the community, but it has affected many people. We will fight this until everyone behind this is brought to book,” said Madikane.
City law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said the operation resulted in six people being arrested “under the Immigration Act and the Food Act.”
MMC for community services and health Patricia van der Ross said environmental health practitioners “took meat samples from the premises for chemical analysis to test the levels and type of additives in the sausage”.
“This analysis aims to determine the levels and types of additives present in the sausage, however, results from this testing will take some time to complete, and authorities have indicated that it would be premature to comment on product distribution or test outcomes while the case remains under investigation,” she said.
“This operation not only violated legal standards but also posed significant health risks due to unsanitary conditions. In the last financial year 214 fines/court cases or warrants of arrest were issued against premises for noncompliance with the food control regulations,” she added.
City environmental health practitioners are mandated to conduct visits to business premises at least twice a year, but if problems are identified or complaints are received then more regular inspections would be needed.
CEO of Food and Allergy Consulting and Testing Services Dr Harris Steinman, who worked with two doctors on a research project on the exposé of donkey meat being sold in 2013, said when tests were conducted on meat products, they were checked if labelled correctly, and if there were obvious signs of bacterial or fungal infection.
“The laboratory analysis then takes place to determine whether there is mould/bacteria contamination, does the sulphur dioxide level exceed regulatory limits, does the product contain allergens such as gluten (cereal), soy and so on, what is the meat species and does the product contain other species not listed or not permitted,” said Steinman.
“More sophisticated analysis could include determining whether the sausage contains offal. The product is seldom tested for spice contents, but if one was concerned, one could test for illegal additives, such as the colourant, Sudan red. Depending on the label, is the fat content reflected on the label and therefore compliant with regulations?”
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