Durban — The eThekwini Municipality seems to be intensifying its food and safety campaign after conducting a few visits to food establishments recently.
The municipality’s campaign aims to ensure compliance with food and safety standards.
On Saturday, the eThekwini Municipality said that the City’s South 3 Environmental Health practitioners took the food and safety compliance campaign to Bluff Towers and Hillside Mall where 24 premises were inspected.
The municipality said that health education was also conducted for food handling and management of businesses.
“Nine restaurants and takeaway businesses were found to be non-compliant for not having proper protective equipment and unhygienic and dirty food preparation facilities,” the municipality said.
On Thursday evening, the municipality said that mayor Mxolisi Kaunda along with deputy mayor Zandile Myeni, councillor Sibusiso Mpanza, the Metro Police Service and the municipality’s health department, advised that a shop should be closed and the owner must be arrested for selling food and cooking in an area that is unhygienic where cats also sleep.
The store the municipality was referring to is on Alexandra Street next to taxis heading to uMgababa.
“It is one of the stores that was closed tonight (Thursday) for not following rules of trade, selling rotten food and not having a business licence,” the municipality said.
“This ongoing campaign also uncovered a number of undocumented persons.”
Earlier, the municipality said that the Metro Police’s Crime Prevention and By-Law Compliance and Enforcement Clean-up continues to make an impact in the City.
“Food outlet, King-Shwarma on Denis Hurley Street, was recently fined R5 000 and requested to clean up the waste they had illegally dumped as part of the operation,” the municipality said.
This is how Facebook users reacted to the municipality’s campaign.
Kevin Hall accused the municipality of going after businesses operating in malls to create a spectacle but those who process meat and sell cooked meat elsewhere to the public are seemingly ignored and open.
“There is a ‘restaurant’ in Sage Road Jacobs that runs on weekdays, opposite the liquor outlet and outside the hostel, close to Balfour Road. Cow heads are stripped of meat in the open with hundreds of flies present. Skin and fat are often dropped on the floor and blood runs on to the floor as well. Skulls often pile up outside the establishment. The floor is hosed off into the street, creating smelly stinking puddles. Rotten meat and blood smell vile! No cold chain is observed!! Please deal with them!!”
Riccardo Brian Wyngaard asked: “May we have a list of these non-compliant businesses?”
Elriza Gomes said: “Nice to see these officials following through on what they started. Well done officials in eThekwini. I’m sure there will be more of these types of shops you will close down!”
Bayanda Mosia said: “eThekwini Municipality please include the Department of Labour and Department of Home Affairs as well as Customs in these cleans. And it should be done in all the shops. Do not be selective! In less than three months the whole of this town will have no fast food outlets.”
Ren Moodley said: “It’s high time someone has done the job. Look at what state this once beautiful city has gone to.
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Daily News