• Telkom has announced that it has zero rated calls to the National Consumer Commission.
• This as part of ongoing efforts to prevent citizens from eating expired foods and becoming ill.
• President Cyril Ramaphosa reports that governments efforts have lead to the shut down of paza shops, supermarkets and warehouses.

Government is working hard to stop the practice of selling expired and fake foods in an effort to prevent foodborne illness. These efforts stem from a spate of child deaths allegedly caused by consuming expired foods. At least 22 people including children have died from ingesting tainted food.

While government makes efforts to inspect warehouses, get spaza shops to register with it and more, the key to solving this crisis is through communication with citizens who are more likely to spot expired foods.

To that end, Telkom has announced that calls to the National Consumer Commission have been zero rated as of 1st December. This means Telkom customers can report instances of expired food on 012 065 1940 for free.

“Telkom’s mission is to connect South Africans to a better life. We believe there can be no better example of this than making it easier for citizens to protect themselves and their loved ones during an emergency,” says Telkom Group chief executive officer Serame Taukobong.

Telkom says that the decision to zero rate calls to the NCC aligns with its goal to make a positive impact on society.

“Each of us needs to take responsibility for the safety and well-being of those around us, particularly the children of our nation. By working together, by enforcing the law, by being alert and responsible, we will be able to bring an end to these tragedies,” the telco writes.

So far, efforts to prevent the sale of dangerous food stuffs has proved fruitful. On Thursday President Cyril Ramaphosa told the National Council of Provinces that government has visited nearly 200 000 spaza shops since it launched a blitz to police informal traders. So far 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been shut down.

“Large quantities of goods have been confiscated and numerous fines have been issued for violations of by-laws,” the president said.

At the end of November, government issued a call for spaza shop and food handling facilities to register in the municipalities that they operate in. This is part of an effort to prevent foodborne illness from affecting citizens, especially children.