A multi-agency enforcement blitz in Johannesburg uncovered serious food safety and labour violations, including meat stored directly on floors, animals present in food preparation areas, and breaches of labour legislation. Separate operations seized counterfeit and illicit goods.

The Bulletin supports firm and even-handed enforcement of health and labour law. Nobody's child should eat food prepared in those conditions, and no worker should be employed outside the protection of the law.

But enforcement alone will not build a compliant township economy. Small traders who want to comply frequently cannot: the cost of a compliant cold chain, the wait for a health certificate and the absence of affordable trading infrastructure push honest operators into the informal margins.

Regions are asked to pair every enforcement operation in their area with a compliance clinic at which traders can obtain guidance on registration, health certification and basic conditions of employment.