SOUTH Africa has officially declared a food poisoning crisis a national disaster after the deaths of at least 22 children and hundreds of reported illnesses across the country.

The outbreak has been traced to food contaminated with insecticide compounds, allegedly sold by local vendors in township convenience stores known as Spaza shops.

Thembi Simelane, the Justice and Constitutional Development minister, made the announcement on Thursday at a Pretoria press conference, following reports of nearly 900 cases of food-borne illnesses across all provinces in the country since September;

Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces were reported to be the most affected, with at least 22 children having died, prompting urgent measures.

Observers said the declaration is the most significant step yet to tackle the public health crisis after President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the immediate closure of Spaza shops linked to the vast poisoning incidents.

“Any shop that fails to register within 21 days or does not meet health standards will be closed,” the president said in a televised address, with the disaster response plan also involving stricter regulations on pesticide use.

This includes inspections of licensed manufacturers of terbufos, an agricultural pesticide identified as being linked to the serial poisonings, while the president pledged to strengthen measures for the traceability, repackaging and disposal of pesticides and food products to prevent further contamination.

John Steenhuisen, the Agriculture minister, clarified that the terbufos found in the contaminated food likely did not originate from South Africa’s five licensed pesticide manufacturers.

"The terbufos found in the Spaza shops differ significantly from the colour and texture of locally produced batches," he stated, noting that the chemical was detected in three out of 84 Spaza shops inspected in Soweto, while fatalities and hospitalizations have been reported across five provinces.

Health inspectors have launched nationwide raids, seizing expired food items and stepping up food safety inspections, even as Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, the Small Business Development minister, stressed that the issue extends beyond Spaza shops. “South Africa has more than 150,000 Spaza shops, but the investigation reveals that fewer than half of them are involved in the current outbreak,” she said.

The outbreak follows a deadly listeriosis crisis in 2023 which affected three provinces, with Gauteng recording the highest number of cases (581), followed by Western Cape (118) and KwaZulu-Natal (70).

The government’s swift action aims to prevent further loss of life and strengthen food safety measures to ensure such incidents do not recur, officials noted.