Deadly food poisoning sparks xenophobic shop attacks in South Africa
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JOHANNESBURG — A spate of deaths in South Africa following outbreaks of food poisoning have sparked violence directed at African migrant shopkeepers who have been blamed.
Armed mobs have in recent weeks looted migrant-owned shops mostly run by Somalis whom they accuse of selling products responsible for the outbreaks, forcing the closure of many stores, and killing at least one shopkeeper .
The anger threatens to spark broader xenophobic unrest in Africa's most industrialized economy.
In a high profile outbreak, six children died as a result of food poisoning after eating food bought from a migrant-owned, informal grocery store — known as spaza shops — in the Naledi district of Soweto, in Johannesburg, on Oct. 6, 2024.
A little over two weeks later, more than 600 kilometers away from Johannesburg on the South Coast in KwaZulu-Natal province, seven children were hospitalized after falling ill from food they allegedly also bought from a migrant-owned spaza shop.
Health officials and police have begun conducting inspections of spaza shops to check their owners are complying with consumer safety laws.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said toxicology reports "unequivocally" showed the six children in Soweto died as a result of Terbufos ingestion, a chemical used in agricultural pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides."Those affected have concluded that these ailments are a result of food poisoning emanating from food stuff, particularly snacks, sold by foreign-owned spaza shops," he said in a statement.
Thabo Msimang, the father of one of the six children who died, told Semafor Africa he and his family had often bought food and other goods from the spaza shop where the contaminated food is alleged to have come from. "It's been a very tough time for me and my family," he said.
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Piers Pigou, an analyst at Pretoria's Institute for Security Studies said the violence against the migrant shopkeepers highlighted the need for the government to work on social cohesion.
"Government has previously attempted to respond to concerns about xenophobic reactions," he said. "It now needs to do so in a context where anti-foreigner sentiment has been politically weaponized."
Over the last decade and a half, South Africa's townships have seen occasional waves of violent xenophobic attacks against African migrants, who are blamed for economic hardship or rumored misdemeanors.
Jan's view
The relationship between South Africans and African and Asian migrants, especially in many of the country's poorer and marginalized communities, is very fragile. It has often been exploited by opportunistic politicians.
The threat of broader xenophobic unrest comes at a time when investors are broadly optimistic about Africa's most industrialized economy following the creation of a coalition government that is expected to roll out more pro-business policies than previous administrations.
But the government announced grim growth forecasts last week which temper suggestions of imminent economic uptick and could be further undermined by broader xenophobic-tinged unrest of the kind seen in violent clashes between locals and migrants in 2008 and 2015.
Loren Landau, a research professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, warned the violent flashpoints could prompt further unrest.
"Foreigners are disliked and their presence correlates with a generally anxious society," said Landau. He said leveling accusations at migrants was a way for some South Africans to channel anxiety around their lack of financial or physical security.
"It isn't surprising that these anxieties exist, given the state of South African society. Nor is it surprising that people are being scapegoated for them. But that makes this no less absurd or dangerous."
Room for Disagreement
Amir Sheikh, who chairs the African Diaspora Forum and a prominent Somali businessman in Johannesburg, called on law enforcement agencies to swiftly carry out investigations which he believes would prevent more migrants, especially Somali spaza shop owners, from unfairly being targeted.
"There has been a lot of slandering, a lot of name-calling, and politicians saying things all to sow the seeds of mistrust in communities... There is a lot of campaigning and a coordinated attempt to create confusion and mistrust between people," he warned.
Sheikh said his organization had done an audit of Somali-owned businesses in Soweto, and in the whole of the Naledi there were 35 to 38 spaza shops in the area, and not a single one of them was owned or operated by Somalis. He added that in areas such Duduza, Katlehong, and Kwa-Thema, east of Johannesburg, local communities previously closed down all migrant-owned spaza shops.
"If this is not countered, it can lead to similar incidents such as the xenophobic attacks in 2008 and 2015. There was mass coordination at grassroots levels and we are seeing it again," he said.
