Parents of children who attend Tamaho Primary School in Katlehong in the east rand refuse to let their children eat food from the school nutrition programme in fear of their safety.
This comes after 110 pupils were rushed to the different healthcare facilities on Wednesday afternoon. They had allegedly consumed beans and samp at the school.
One of the parents, Nosolomzi Mqambeli, said they are still shocked that this happened from food from school.
No longer trust the school feeding programme
She said they no longer want their children to eat the food from school.
According to Mqabeli, they let their guard down with the school nutrition because they believed it was safe for their children to eat.
“We have been hearing on the news that children around Gauteng are dying after they ate snacks. So I reprimanded mine not to eat snacks from these spazas. Now this was a shock to us because we thought this food was safe,” she said.
She further stated that her child also was a victim of the suspected food-borne disease.
“I did not sleep last night because I did not know whether my child was going to survive or not. After I was informed that they were rushed to hospital, I went there. And my child told me that she ate the food from school and her stomach started acting up with cramps.”
However, the School Governing Body (SGB), said they cannot cancel the school nutrition programme. This is because some children rely on the programme to eat.
SGB calls for calm, awaits test results on the food
Nomfesane Sikutu, chairperson of the SGB, said they have spoken to the parents to allay their fears. They assured them that they would follow the matter up until they get to the bottom of it.
“This is a decision that each parent has to make. And we will respect it because these are their children. But we cannot cancel the programme just for a few parents who do not trust the system,” Sikutu said.
She said they cannot comment on whether it was the food that led to the hospitalisation. They will have to see the test results of the food.
Meanwhile, Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona said they will share the test results.
“The children have been discharged. However, we would like to assure the parents that we will share the results with them.”
