Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie has called for foreign-owned spaza shops to be closed down, calling the owners who sold old kos to unsuspecting customers “terrorists and killers”.
McKenzie claimed that delaying the deportation of illegal spaza store owners could unintentionally lead to an increase in attacks against them.
The Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, who has advocated for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, argued that the government's inaction sent a dangerous message, potentially encouraging affected citizens to take the law into their own hands.
Recently, several children have died in Gauteng after allegedly eating contaminated food bought from spaza shops.
“We are unknowingly encouraging attacks against illegal spaza shop owners by not acting and deporting them. Our inaction is a direct instruction that people should take the law into their own hands.
“These shop owners are terrorists and killers. Let us close all these shops now before more kids die,” McKenzie posted on X.
The most recent incident involved 10-year-old Alexandra resident Lesedi Maaboi, who was admitted to the hospital, along with her mother and four-year-old brother.
Maaboi died after apparently eating chips from a local spaza shop and suffering from chest symptoms.
The government has promised to intervene.
Yesterday, cops in Gauteng busted seven illegal immigrants during a raid at a factory in Daleside where workers were packaging and altering dates on expired Lucky Star canned fish.
Police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said they also discovered printing equipment which was used to alter expiry dates on the containers.
The altered tins were being placed in boxes marked “Woolworths Food”.
“Seven illegal immigrants aged between 18 and 29 years were arrested. The owner of the operation remains at large,” said Sibeko.
IOL has reached out to Woolworths for a comment, but did not receive a timeous reply.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za