The African proverb “a child is raised by a village” has lost meaning over the years in post-modern society; however, it is now more than ever that we need to revive the African communal spirit of investing and protecting our children.
One can never afford to ignore the fact that the world has changed and is changing, we now live in a global society, we have to accommodate international relations and interact with non-African laws and policies.
Furthermore migration has been on the rise, people migrate to other countries for either greener pastures or for asylum. Sometimes even for criminal activities, criminals are familiar with the laws of the country they want to operate in, they know the loopholes and take advantage of them.
I have to qualify this by saying not every foreign national in South Africa is a criminal or is taking advantage of our somewhat lax laws or regulations.
Over the past two weeks, once again we were engaged in the dreadful topic about children dying after consuming products they bought from foreign owned spaza shops, it was heart breaking to listen to the parents who lost their children, a generation has died, a future, a hope, a legacy is gone.
Government working together with community members can win this battle. The sooner the foreign national shop owners are complaint, the better for all, they will also feel safe to live amongst the locals.
The immediate question that invades one’s mind when you here such reports is, how many more children are going to die due to fake and or expired products? Who do we blame for such? Is it even worth it to point fingers at each other?
Municipalities and provincial authorities have conducted numerous compliance inspection visits to these foreign owned shops, they have made disheartening discoveries, the shops are selling expired products, they produce fake goods in unsanitary environments.
Videos have surfaced whereby the producers of these products showing utmost disrespect to their customers, sleeping on the food they sell, putting their dirty feet on the snacks they sell to our children. Selling bottled water they draw from a filthy toilet and many more.
Awareness has been done regarding to the kind of products our fellow African brothers are selling, but the native still buy and consume them. It is reasoned that they buy from them because they are cheap and even give credit to customers; but is that enough reason to continue keeping these shops in existence?
It has also been alleged that some police officers who usually raid these shops are taking bribes from the shop owners in exchange to allow them to continue their business, some allege that there are people who collect protection fee and protecting the shops, and the community is afraid of them.
At what point do we say enough is enough? At what point are we going to wake up to the fact that, at this rate, a whole generation will be whipped out because we are afraid to stand up and protect our children and society at large.
Authorities need to ensure that every spaza shop is registered and is compliant to the by-laws, that products are safe to consume. Non-compliant shops and factories must be shut down. Government must send a strong message that such will not be tolerated in the country. And further avoid an uprising in communities, if there is any truth in the allegations made, corrupt officials must be rooted out.
People must be arrested and prices of the goods sold must also be regulated, government must be strict and must have a decided approach in dealing with serious issue because we cannot keep on losing children at this rate.
Community members must also take responsibility as well, they know the shops that sell fake and or expired products but they still buy from them, some may blame poverty but better safe than sorry, take a walk to that distant shop to buy safe products than buy from the close one that sells hazardous products for convenience.
Government working together with community members can win this battle. The sooner the foreign national shop owners are complaint, the better for all, they will also feel safe to live amongst the locals.