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ActionSA joins calls for President Ramaphosa to declare a State of Emergency following the tragic death of a 10-year-old girl in Alexandra, the latest victim of an alarming escalation in deadly cases involving the consumption of contaminated or expired goods bought from spaza shops.

Yesterday, ActionSA visited the home of 10-year-old Lesedi Maaboi, who tragically passed away this past weekend after falling ill from consuming snacks bought from a nearby foreign-owned spaza shop. Sadly, Lesedi’s passing comes as both her mother and 4-year-old brother remain hospitalised.

The tragic passing of young Lesedi in Alexandra, along with the recent deaths of two children in Katlehong and the hospitalisation of another 25 children as of this morning, underscores a growing and urgent threat to public health, driven by the escalating number of spaza shop poisoning incidents emerging across communities.

It has become increasingly clear that these cases are not isolated but rather part of a broader crisis affecting communities across South Africa. Frustration is mounting over the government's inaction in the face of this severe and escalating danger, as South Africans are confronted almost daily with the heartbreaking news of children losing their lives to contaminated or expired goods sold at these shops.

ActionSA believes this crisis has intensified to unprecedented levels, demanding immediate intervention. Given the serious threat to public health that has emerged, we call on the President to declare a State of Emergency to enable intensified raids on manufacturing facilities, spaza shops, and distribution networks linked to contaminated or expired goods.

ActionSA is not prepared to allow a situation where innocent lives are senselessly lost while the government sits idle and fails to proactively address this crisis.

Issued by Lerato Ngobeni MP, ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip & Matthew George, ActionSA Parliamentary Head of Media