More than a year after illegal pesticide terbufos claimed the lives of six children in Naledi, the community remains a flashpoint of grief and xenophobic tension. While government mandates for spaza shop registration continue, families are still waiting for the closure and justice they were promised.

Survival items are densely stocked on the shelves of spaza shops in Soweto. The shelves contain the basic necessities of life - food and water. For black South Africans, spaza shops are places of convenience when compared with larger supermarkets, which are often inaccessible. Yet, the legacy of apartheid creates a struggle for black people who are fighting for both accessible products and economic empowerment.

In 2024, in the township of Naledi, Soweto, convenience became an issue of compliance due to food-borne deaths caused by terbufos, an illegal chemical pesticide allegedly found in purchased snacks that claimed the lives of six children who attended the same school. They were Zinhle Ida Maama (7), Isago Mabote (8), Njabulo Msimanga (7), Katlego Olifant (7), Karabo Rampou (9) and Monica Sebetwana (6). The previous year two children, Neo Kgang (4) and Leon Jele (6), also lost their lives in a similar spaza shop incident.

Karabo's mother Refloe Rampou described her son as serious, but loving. She remembers that fateful Sunday every day.

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"I just remembered his face. His face keeps reminiscing in my mind. I try to be strong every day, but there are some things I can't erase," said Rampou.

Ototleng...