A toilet inside a kitchen and goods that expired three years ago are just some of the finds officials from the department of public health found in a blitz on eateries in Uitenhage’s CBD on Friday.
Out of 36 shops visited by the officials, 11 shops were shut down for violating municipal by-laws and failing to produce their business licenses.
The blitz kicked off at the Uitenhage taxi rank and attracted a bunch of onlookers who pointed out shops they believed sold expired food.
The operation found takeaway staff working in cramped quarters and dirty kitchens.
Expired groceries – some from as far back as 2015 – were confiscated by officials.
Alex Grocery, a store in Durban Road, had most of its food confiscated after items were found to have expired three years ago.
The store failed to produce a waste-removal contract, business licence or certificate of acceptability.
They also kept cats roaming inside the store because they had a rat problem.
Shop owner Hamen Abukar watched as officials closed his shop doors for failing to meet health regulations and not having the necessary documents.
Abukar, who had been operating the take-away food shop for three months, said he was unaware that his shop did not meet health regulations or that he needed a certificate of acceptability.
“I’ve got a trading licence, but it’s from a previous shop I used to run down the street. I was never told I needed to reapply for one,” Abukar said.
The metro’s deputy environmental health director, Dr Patrick Nodwele, who ran the blitz operation with public health political head Lance Grootboom, said the documents were non-transferable and when Abukar moved premises, he needed to reapply.
The smell of oil permeated the air outside Cape Taste, where inspectors found chicken and fish fried in the same oil.
They also found a toilet in the corner of the kitchen a couple of steps from where kitchen staff were preparing food.
One of the shops, Al-Monswer fast-food, was found to be operating on a previous owner’s business licence and when one of the employers was told to call the owner of the shop, he said the owner was in Bangladesh.
Grootboom said they were sending a message that businesses should comply and should they not, those businesses would be closed.
“We’re addressing food hygiene in Uitenhage.
“Some businesses were served with seven-day notices and they were told to come to the offices of environmental health to apply, should they not meet the requirements set out,” Grootboom said.