2 Kensington businesses shut down after inspections find 'shocking conditions'

CAPE TOWN - A ward councillor has described shocking conditions while conducting inspections at shops in Kensington.

On Wednesday, Cheslyn Steenberg visited two shops and a take-away establishment, along with police and municipal environmental health practitioners, to check compliance.

He said that two of the businesses were forced to close their doors.

"We saw a whole host of things that were quite concerning... muffins that were mouldy, rodent faeces on the floors, buckets of potatoes that were busy fermenting. We found bags of dirt underneath sinks...it looked like old meat that was busy rotting and the smell was foul."

Steenberg said that food safety had always been a priority.

"Officials have been on the ground, even before the declaration of these 21 days. Myself, as ward councillor, I've been busy with this programme since last year already. It, however, just escalated when this scare came, so the focus basically increased."

The president has warned all food-handling establishments to register following at least 890 food contamination incidents and the deaths of 23 children.