Blame for Vredefort deaths lies squarely in government’s hands

19 October 2023

Local governments in the Free State including the police service and the health department are responsible for the recent deaths of two children at Vredefort. Due to lack of proper oversight no one paid attention to the loud outcries about counterfeit products being sold in informal businesses which include foods and medicine.

In Ngwathe Municipality for example, by-law enforcement would have ensured that public health inspectors who are the front-line workers monitor businesses and public facilities to ensure local and state health regulations are adhered to.

Similarly, the police should have also been conducting spot checks in the townships to ensure that no counterfeit products are being sold, however they also failed to protect the residents.

To this end, ActionSA still calls for urgent intervention by the National Government, and for drastic action to be taken where raids are conducted to sniff out factories where these goods and outlets where they are sold to our communities. More importantly, charges are brought, and prosecution ensues.

It is unacceptable that we are placing South Africans’ lives at risk because we are failing to uphold the rule of law.

As a party committed to the rule of law, ActionSA will work tirelessly to pursue the relevant authorities and compel them to enforce the law in our country.

Issued by Patricia Kopane, ActionSA Free State Provincial Chairperson, 19 October 2023