The DA in Limpopo has written to Education MEC, Mavhungu Lerule- Ramakhanya, calling for an urgent investigation into the safety of kitchens and canteens in all of the province’s schools, where both teacher and staff facilities, and school nutrition programme facilities appear to be at risk.
In the 2023/24 financial year the Department of Labour found at a sample of 273 schools that every single one, 100% of them, had unsafe and non-compliant kitchens and food preparation areas.
After yesterday’s case at Dzumeri Primary School in Giyani where dozens of learners were hospitalised at Nkhensani Hospital as a result of suspected food poisoning from the nutrition programme, it is time for the MEC to act immediately.
The majority of schools in Limpopo do not have proper kitchens for the preparation of food, and certificates of acceptability from the local authorities are lacking.
Limpopo’s poor management of the school nutrition programme has been characterised by the delivery of substandard food products, poor storage conditions of the food, theft of food items by criminals and the late or non-delivery of food by service providers.
MEC Lerule-Ramakhanya and her department must investigate the all school kitchens immediately, to identify the shortcomings and fix them so that schools comply with health standards at all times.