- – Council staff implicated in illegal racket reselling unsafe and expired goods to street food vendors and butcheries
- – NWDC not aware of any such acts by any of its employees
Some employees in the North West District Council (NWDC) are said to be working in cahoots with certain street food vendors in an illegal trade that reintroduces into the market condemned food stuffs from various shops that are supposed to be dumped at the landfill.
Sources close to the local authority have raised alarm that this illegal supply chain operating in the dark poses severe public health risks, calling for relevant authorities to act. The employees are allegedly channeling these items officially declared unsafe for consumption back into local commercial networks, and into the plates of unsuspecting customers.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one source revealed that instead of disposing of the items at the landfill after confiscation from businesses, it’s the same employees who are reselling them mostly to desperate street food vendors. Another concerned source also claimed to witness on a frequent basis some council employees dropping off some of these condemns, including chunks of meat, to a certain food vendor using council vehicles. The workers would later reportedly return for payments.
Some of these either expired or condemned stuffs, including vegetables, meat, and canned products, reportedly end up resold to some butcheries. One butchery owner, who confirmed being aware of the reports, complained such illicit trade is an unfair way of doing business as the products are sold at cheaper prices. The source expressed doubt that the issue will ever be addressed, complaining that it is the same law enforcers who are also benefitting from the trade.
Some members of the public are also reported to be scavenging for these items in other food retailers while they are still awaiting disposal. It has surfaced that they are either collecting them for consumption or resale at cheaper prices.
Responding to questions from this publication, NWDC Senior Public Relations Officer Donald Mogale said that they are not aware of any council employee who re-sells condemned food stuffs destined for landfill disposal. However, he confirmed that there have been isolated cases of community members recycling waste at the landfill, attempting to remove condemned food stuffs concealed in recyclable waste.
“Council takes such allegations seriously and they are immediately addressed by landfill supervisors and security personnel,” Mogale said. “Condemned food products are destroyed immediately upon arrival through approved disposal methods such as landfilling, compaction and incineration depending on the nature of the waste,” he stated.
Mogale said that although operational challenges may be experienced, efforts are always made to ensure safe disposal of condemned food products and in accordance with Public Health requirements. He assured that security personnel are in place at all times to guard against such actions, adding that the perimeter fence is always replaced to deter unauthorised entry into the landfill.
Explaining the process, Mogale indicated that confiscated, expired, or condemned food products are transported to the landfill for destruction in accordance with approved methods depending on the nature of the food item. “Some are compacted and landfilled, others burnt while some are incinerated,” said Mogale, adding that the departments responsible are that of Environmental Health and Bye-law.
The spokesperson revealed that NWDC conducts high-risk food business routine inspections on a quarterly basis to ascertain compliance with legal statutes such as the Public Health Act, mainly to protect the health of the community. According to him, few businesses have been closed since the beginning of this financial year because of non-compliance with legal statutes. “From April to date only three businesses were temporarily closed to allow for implementation of corrective measures to be put in place. They were later opened after compliance with legal statutes,” Mogale revealed.
