KZN Premier calls for bolstered borders after expired food items discovered at warehouse

DURBAN - KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli says the discovery of storage units used to keep illicit items calls for strong border regulations.  

Provincial police on Wednesday discovered items believed to have been illegally imported into the country.   

Ntuli said the government needs to adopt a strong approach to control what comes in and out of the province.  

He addressed journalists at the scene during the raid in Bluff, Durban.

"There isn’t much more evidence that can, in fact, emphasise the need to ensure that we strengthen our borders so that what comes is something is supposed to come in, not products that are not supposed to come into our country," Ntuli said.

Police said the storage units used for illicit goods have contributed to the country's food poisoning crisis. 

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The items included expired food while some had no expiry dates.   

This comes when the country has recorded 22 deaths linked to food contamination.

The goods were kept in the same place with dangerous substances including pills and other medical supplies. 

"No doubt, when you see this, there's been lots of talks about pesticides. We see it here right next to noodles, right next to the children's food and right next to the spice that is used to spice those chips that children consume so it is an obvious thing," said KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Police are investigating the source of the goods, and no arrests have been made.