Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that Organophosphate is the the chemical responsible for the death of the six children from Naledi. Image: Newzroom Afrika.
(The Post News)- A distressing discovery for the Soweto community, the untimely deaths of six youngsters in Naledi, Soweto, have been connected to the consumption of a deadly chemical known as Organophosphate.
Earlier this month, 6 families in Naledi, Soweto, faced heartbreaking losses when their toddlers suddenly fell critically ill and succumbed to unknown symptoms. This tragedy not only broke the hearts of the families involved but also sent shockwaves throughout Soweto and South Africa at large.
The nature of the children’s symptoms suggested poisoning, triggering accusations of food poisoning from spaza shops and a quick investigation into the cause of their death. After the children died, the police found a suspected packet of chips in the pocket of one of the children, which was sent for analysis, and the results were found to be negative for any poisonous substance.
Moreover, after further investigations were conducted, the Health Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, has publicly stated that the toxicology reports disclose the fatal cause of these children’s premature deaths. He explained that organophosphates are a group of compounds that are commonly employed in agriculture or as pesticides.
In response to the tragedy in Soweto, health officials organized inspections in spaza shops across Soweto. During these inspections, authorities discovered several illegal and unregulated chemical substances.
Following this, four people connected to these spaza shops were arrested for selling dangerous and illegal substances.
However, Minister Motsoaledi also clarified that the illegal chemicals found at these spaza shops were not linked to the deaths of the six children, as initially suspected. In his announcement, Dr. Motsoaledi emphasized that while the discovery of illegal chemicals in spaza shops raised valid concerns, these chemicals were not responsible for the children’s deaths.
He went on to say that, while organophosphate was discovered in the bodies of these youngsters, they are still waiting to see if the same organophosphate was found in the spaza enterprises, so they have yet to make that connection. The Gauteng police commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni, said traces of a chemical used to kill insects were found on samples of food sold at two spaza shops in Naledi. Since February, more than 207 incidents of food poisoning have been documented in Gauteng, including 10 deaths.
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