• An eight-year-old Soweto boy is in ICU after allegedly eating snacks laced with rat poison bought from a local spaza shop.

• Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa says unregistered spaza shops run by foreign nationals are behind rising food safety concerns.

An eight-year-old boy from Mapetla is fighting for his life in hospital after allegedly eating snacks laced with rat poison.

The boy started vomiting, foaming at the mouth and collapsed shortly after eating the snacks.

His family said his stomach turned purple before he was rushed to Tshiawelo Clinic and later transferred to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

While he remains in the intensive care unit, doctors say his condition is improving.

City officials have launched an investigation and have already collected samples of the contaminated food.

The shop where the snacks were bought has been shut down.

Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has come out strongly, accusing foreign shop owners of selling unsafe food that does not meet health standards.

“As a government, we are sure that there is food poisoning taking place in spaza shops and we should bring this to an end,” he said.

Hlabisa urged communities and ward councillors to report unregistered shops and ensure that owners who break the rules are banned from trading again.

“I’m not being discriminatory or xenophobic, but the challenge we are experiencing comes from spaza shops owned by foreign nationals. This is not xenophobia, it’s the truth,” he said.

He added that South African women who sell snacks at schools are more careful and take pride in selling safe food, especially because their own children attend those schools.

CoGTA and other government departments will now conduct site visits to spaza shops to make sure they follow all health rules.

Hlabisa said the boy remains in their prayers and he hopes the child makes a full recovery and returns home soon.

Pictured above: Spaza shop.

Image source: File