Insect pesticide found in Naledi food samples
Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni says traces of a chemical used to kill insects were found on samples of food sold at two spaza shops in Naledi, where six children recently died.
Police officers confiscated the snacks during a raid following concerns raised by the community.
Earlier this month, six children died after eating snacks from a spaza shop in Naledi, south of Johannesburg.
Briefing the media on the progress made since the deployments at gang-affected areas such as Westbury, Eldorado Park, Langlaagte and others, Mthombeni said investigations are ongoing in the matter.
"We have the results from the forensic lab, which clearly indicates that the cause of death is carbamate; carbamate is a bait which kills insects based on the pathologist’s report."
"We are working closely with the schools and the school governing bodies in ensuring that our schools are safe, not to say somebody is not going to be held criminally liable, but from the investigation, as they have taken the samples from those areas that it’s suspected the children might have taken that."
READ: Health Department probing chemical agent behind ‘food poisonings’
-Amantle Samane-
Mthombeni added that the man alleged to be behind the murder and rape of 6-year-old Amantle Samane was arrested in Zola, Soweto, late Wednesday night.
The Mozambican national had been in hiding since Monday after the body of young Samane was discovered in his rental room.
Young Samane was allegedly raped and strangled in his rented shack just meters away from Samane’s Orlando East home in Soweto.
He says the man is an illegal immigrant as his passport details that he came to the country two years ago and he had never left again.
This was after an immigration status check with the Home Affairs Department revealed he is living illegally in South Africa.
"We arrested him in Soweto, in the Zola area, in that space he also had rented a room as well as in that space where he had moved to. One can confirm that we are really hard at work in ensuring that justice is served."
ALSO READ: ANC to call ministers to account for food poisoning incidents, says Mbalula
-Road Spikings-
In the same briefing, Mthombeni further highlighted the arrest of 36 suspects for spiking incidents across the province.
The arrests come amid a marked increase in spiking incidents over the past few months, specifically on Gauteng roads.
The N1, N4 and R80 are the province's hotspots for spiking incidents.
He says teams have been deployed in the area to fight against the spiking incidents.
"Last week on the R55 and N17, one of our own (police officer) was shot and robbed, of which he is currently still in hospitalised. Since we have deployed our teams there together with the crime investigation, we have arrested 36 people, of which these people have appeared in court and are in police custody."
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