Food poisoning: Gauteng Education MEC dismisses allegations that school nutrition programme to blame

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane maintained that government’s school nutrition programme is monitored to ensure the quality and safety of the food provided, emphasising that the death of an eight-year-old girl in Soweto is unlikely to be connected to the programme.

Chiloane was speaking outside the home of the Grade 2 pupil in Diepkloof after paying respects and offering support to the family on Monday afternoon.

Young girl dies of suspected food poisoning

The MEC began his visit at Thabisile Primary School in Soweto on Monday following the tragic passing of the pupil on Friday.

The pupil fell ill on Wednesday last week after reportedly consuming biscuits from a local spaza shop. Her condition worsened over the next two days, and she was taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital on Friday, where she passed away.

However, Chiloane said the cause of the child’s death has not been determined yet as they are still waiting for the post-mortem results.

“If there’s something wrong [at the school], it should have been at least even five kids who could have said that maybe there’s something wrong with the food they were giving our children. At the school, there’s no child that really experienced any of these side effects. Even today they’re still being fed,” he said.

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MEC says school nutrition programme is ‘thorough’

He dismissed any allegations pointing to the school nutrition programme, citing that the Department of Health collected samples from the school and found nothing.

“I verified with my officials, the Department of Health was at the school today, they found nothing. I asked if there’s any other child that experienced this thing, there’s no other child. It becomes difficult really for me to say perhaps it’s the school when there is no indication.”

“Our school nutrition programme is very thorough. We monitor, we inspect randomly the food that we give our children. We check the quality and our schools also monitor the quality.”

The deceased girl’s family has asked for privacy and will not be speaking to the media. However, outside the family home, a spaza shop renting in the yard has been closed. It is understood that the shop has been shut since Friday, following the news of the child’s passing.

“It’s their decision to share the post-mortem results if and when they choose. For now, the evidence suggests the child experienced vomiting, which could indicate ingestion of something harmful. We will allow the family space to process and grieve.”

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Spaza shops

On the issue of spaza shops near schools, the MEC reaffirmed the department’s stance to close those that fail to comply with regulations.

“We will ensure that vendors near schools are approved by municipalities, the Department of Health, and our department. Our job is to safeguard children, and we won’t compromise on this.”

At this stage, the exact cause of her passing remains unclear. The relevant authorities are conducting investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.