One hundred learners from Gobizizwe Agricultural School near Mthatha have reportedly been hospitalised following a suspected mass food poisoning incident late yesterday. Paramedics and health officials attended to pupils who complained of stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea, before transferring the most serious cases to nearby hospitals for urgent treatment. Initially, 70 learners were rushed to hospitals, with an additional 30 later admitted with similar symptoms.
The Health Department reported that the poisoning appeared to have stemmed from a meal served as part of the National School Nutrition Programme. This makes it imperative that the provincial government move with speed to identify the source of the contamination, suspend any unsafe supplies, and ensure no other schools in the province are at risk.
The Democratic Alliance is demanding that the Eastern Cape Departments of Education and Health urgently investigate the cause of the contamination and make their findings public. This must include a full audit of food handling, storage, and supplier compliance at Gobizizwe Agricultural School, as well as a review of all other school nutrition sites in the OR Tambo District.
This incident comes in the wake of a recent Daily Dispatch report revealing that only one out of 712 schools in Buffalo City Metro and Amathole West has the legally required food safety certification for their kitchens. While Mthatha falls in the OR Tambo District, the absence of province-wide transparency on certification raises serious questions about the safety of meals being served to learners.
The DA will write to the MEC for Education, Fundile Gade, to demand a full public audit of all school kitchens in the Eastern Cape within 60 days, with a district-by-district breakdown of certification status.
We will also be tabling a parliamentary question in connection with this incident. Should any supplier or vendor be found to have breached food safety regulations, we will be calling for their immediate suspension.
Learners should be able to attend school without fear that the food provided to them will cause harm. The safety and dignity of children must be at the heart of the government’s response, and the people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers, and a future built on dignity, opportunity, and honest government.