Devland wholesaler given 7 days to fix food, safety non-compliance

The ultimatum came after officials flagged concerns during an inspection by the city’s health and safety departments.

Johannesburg’s Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku led environmental health and Emergency Medical Service officials at the Devland Cash and Carry in Lenasia on Tuesday afternoon.

The visit followed several incidents of food-related health emergencies linked to spaza shops, including the death of six children in nearby Naledi.

Wholesale stores are the main suppliers for spaza shops.

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The safety MMC said the cash and carry failed several compliance checks including having an approved safety plan.

Store manager Zaheer Paruk produced several certificates that were requested by authorities.

However, after producing a hand-drawn floor plan he was asked to find the original plan.

Moments later, his assistant returned with a printed plan, but it lacked the necessary approval stamps.

“It's very important because before they could open or do anything, for any building, you need to supply the plan to the EMS so that it can be approved in terms of fire. As you know, the city of Joburg has been experiencing a lot of fires. We’ve given them seven days.

“Normally, if it’s a building like a club or a tavern, with a lot of people moving around we would’ve closed them immediately,” Tshwaku told reporters.

The store was also fined R1,500 for storing food on the floor, and another R2,500 after cats were found on the premises.

Earlier, Paruk told inspectors they have pest control services at the store on the first week of every month, but he added that it was becoming difficult to keep the animals away because of the nearby dumping site.

The Cash and Carry employs 300 people and, according to the store manager, only 40 were foreign nationals with the relevant immigration documents.

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