Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

The City of Cape Town responded as follows:

 

Routine inspections are conducted by the Environmental Health Practitioner to ensure the informal meat traders at Philippi station comply with the basic requirements such as personal hygiene; keeping their stalls clean; the meat stays covered/protected from the elements; cleaning of working surfaces and equipment; the refuse is removed regularly; ensuring that a supply of potable water and soap is available at all times. Education in respect of the aforementioned is given on every visit to the traders in the area. A Health and Hygiene Project is in the process of being planned to address relevant issues with the traders.

 

 

PHILIPPI STATION INFORMAL FOOD TRADERS

 

The Mitchells Plain Environmental Health Office, with the support of the Water and Sanitation Department issued water safety containers and liquid soap to all the traders. This was accompanied with an educational session on the five keys to food safety and pest control measures to be implemented. Educational material was distributed to the informal food traders at Philippi Station. This is aimed at ensuring that the traders have safe implements to store potable water for cleaning and drinking purposes, for themselves as well as for their clients. On the containers is a sticker explaining how to maintain it and clean it as well as a set of emergency contact numbers. The project was conducted to make the traders aware of their roles and the importance of supplying safe food to the consumers as well as improving their working conditions.

 

         

 

 

 

PESTICIDE RAID AT PHILIPPI STATION

 

The Environmental Health Office coordinates with the Department of Agriculture and the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Unit quarterly pesticide raids at Philippi Station and other hot spot areas in our Sub District to confiscate highly toxic and illegal poisons (such as two-step, green leaf packets, crackdown and various other illegal baits) from stalls and informal food traders. These searches are done in the interest of protecting the health and safety of residents and stopping the illegal sale of pesticides.

 

Currently there is an issue with bones, from the meat traders, being deposited in a refuse skip provided for this purpose, close to the Philippi Station. This refuse skip was provided by PRASA to ensure the area is kept clean.The waste is removed weekly to prevent any nuisance being experienced. A Health Notice will be served on PRASA to relocate the skip further away from the residential area, spray disinfectant and increase the frequency of removal to thrice a week - especially in the summer months to safe guard public health to prevent/minimize flies and other vermin as well as bad odours.