Chemical linked to fatal poisoning in South Africa revealed

South African officials have named the chemical behind the deaths of six children.

Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi said the children from Naledi, Soweto, died of Terbufos ingestion. Terbufos is a chemical used in organophosphate insecticides to control insects and pests on some crops.

Those affected believe they fell sick because of food poisoning from products, particularly snacks, sold at spaza shops. These sites are also called tuck shops and are informal grocery stores.

A group of 80 environmental health practitioners was joined by officials from other government departments in visiting 84 spaza shops to search for evidence of the chemical responsible for illnesses.

“That work was concluded on Thursday, with mop-up operations done on Friday. This operation was done under the supervision and instruction of experts from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). This team was given all the information, including the medical files of the deceased children and, more importantly, the post-mortem results,” said Motsoaledi.

Motsoaledi added that samples taken at various spaza shops in Soweto have been sent to the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), and results are pending.

Illness of children
Four people were arrested after they were found to be trading in a chemical called Aldicarb. During operations in Naledi, some spaza shop owners revealed they were being sold illegal chemicals. Aldicarb was not the cause of death in the children, but it is unlawful to sell to the public because it is also a dangerous substance. The four people were fined and released with a warning.

The Department of Basic Education also expressed concern at increasing reports of food poisoning involving children of school-going age.

“These incidents of food poisoning have disrupted teaching and learning as most cases affected learners during school hours. As a result, school time has been directed towards assisting the affected learners with medical attention,” the department said in a statement.

“In all the cases, the learners consumed items bought from vendors and spaza shops in and around schools. The Department of Basic Education appreciates the work that various government departments and other state organs do to address the matter.”

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) previously said it treated the incident as a potential threat to the country’s security and its citizens.

In September, the Gauteng Department of Health said 207 food poisoning cases affecting children had been reported across the province since February 2024, and 10 people had died.

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