‘Dirty' butchery already under clean-up threat

An East London butchery exposed as one of the dirtiest in a Saturday Dispatch investigation had been served with a notice by health inspectors.

The two-page notice served on Lester's Meats in the Oriental Plaza on January 28 by Buffalo City Municipality's directorate of health and public safety vindicated all the paper's findings. Out of 10 butcheries visited by the Dispatch last week, Lester's Meats topped the list of those flouting health regulations.

Among transgressions, staff were not wearing appropriate protective gear, cleaning products were being stored where staff were preparing meat, a strong smell of paraffin hung in the air and offal and defrosted chickens were stored in the same cabinet.

Last week Lester's manager, Esmé King, claimed health inspectors had visited their premises and had only instructed them to repaint walls and clean floors. However, the municipality's letter, addressed to owner Lester Abrahams, revealed a long list of problems. These included:

Another health hazard, listed twice, was for exhaust ventilations to be extended above roof height and not to the window, and for gas bottles to be secured. This, according to the letter, was a “fire hazard which was to be reported to the Fire Department”.

A day after the paper published the story, staff at Lester's were hard at work cleaning floors and repainting the building.

Lester's has about two more weeks to comply with BCM's instructions or face a fine of up to R1500 or two years' imprisonment.

Source: Daily Dispatch

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