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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.
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. The country was rocked by xenophobic riots in 2008 and 2015.
In a high profile outbreak, six children died from food poisoning after reportedly eating food bought from a migrant-owned, informal grocery store in Soweto, Johannesburg, on Oct. 6, 2024.
Just over two weeks later, seven children were hospitalized after falling ill from food allegedly bought from a migrant-owned spaza shop in KwaZulu-Natal province, more than 600 kilometers away from Johannesburg.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said toxicology reports “unequivocally” showed the children in Soweto died as a result of Terbufos ingestion, a chemical used in agricultural pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides.
| A Somali businessman sees “a coordinated attempt to create confusion and mistrust.” → |
