MINISTER of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has come under fire on social media after posting pictures of himself inspecting a spaza shop in Thabazimbi, Limpopo, with many stating that he was just there for pictures, nothing more.

Steenhuisen, who is also the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), posted pictures of himself and other DA members on his X account (formerly known as Twitter), inspecting a spaza shop in Regorogile township, in Thabazimbi, Limpopo.

His inspection at the tuck shop comes after the country has been experiencing the scourge of food poisoning incidents, which have claimed the lives of more than 23 schoolchildren across the country.

Steenhuisen captioned his tweet, “I conducted an inspection at a tuckshop in Regorogile Township in Thabazimbi following incidents of food-borne illnesses around the country.”

In the post, Steenhuisen can be seen with other DA members inside the shop, engaging with the spaza shop owner, while in the other picture, he is seen holding an insect spray, and looking at it.

I conducted an inspection at a tuckshop in Regorogile Township in Thabazimbi following incidents of foodborne illnesses around the country. pic.twitter.com/dFLv03mHpd
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) November 23, 2024

However, his post caused a backlash, with many users accusing him of using the food poisoning crisis for political gain.

Netizens flocked to the comment section accusing him of a publicity stunt, rather than addressing the rise of food poisoning incidents.

@lolobee052 wrote: “He is on a PR campaign on the death of Black SAns kids.”

“I was there john they even gave you guys free cold drinks you didn't inspect anything you just took photos to post here,” @mshekeshek claimed.

Another user mocked Steenhuisen in his picture for holding the insect spray.

“Broo is inspecting Doom out of all things 😳😭 One can tell you were passing by and were like lets take few pictures by that spaza,” @Ndu_Muvenda_ commented.

Some users demanded to know whether the spaza shop was registered and the details of the inspection.

“What's the outcome of the inspection, have you checked if they're legal immigrants. Your inspection is more like a photo shoot,” said @its_ephraimm.

“@jsteenhuisen Is it legally registered yet? Did you even check that?” said @NgamlaJo.

@Ihhashi_Turkei asked: “What exactly did you do? Is the business legally registered by a South African? Or you just went there for pics.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently addressed the nation following the scourge of food poisoning and revealed that since September, there have been a total of 890 reported incidents of food-borne illness across the country.

Ramaphosa attributed the deaths to the use of cheap, but hazardous chemical pesticides such as Terbufos and Aldicarb in township to control rat infestation due to poor waste management by local municipalities.

In response, Ramaphosa announced measures to curb the crisis of food poisoning, including the immediate closure of all spaza shops implicated in the children's deaths, and a 21-day registration of shops in municipalities to be able to operate.

IOL Politics - Simon Majadibodu

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John Steenhuisen under fire for spaza shop ‘photo opportunity’ amid food poisoning crisis