The department of basic education (DBE) has hailed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s order late last year that all spaza shops in the country be registered, saying it helped prevent further loss of lives after at least 22 school-going children died across SA after consuming snacks bought from spaza shops.

By December 2024 there were at least 890 incidents of food-borne illnesses reported across all provinces, with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal the worst affected, while Limpopo, Free State and Mpumalanga recorded dozens of incidents...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.