By Prega Govender.
The Gauteng education department has instructed principals to suspend the sale of food in and around schools in the province until further notice, following the “alarming increase in incidents of foodborne illnesses” affecting pupils across various schools.
The director of the Motheo district in Free State, December Moloi, has instructed principals to stop the sale of food items in and outside schools until health inspectors and police have identified the original source of poisoning, after 21 pupils at Ihobe Primary in Mangaung were hospitalised on 7 November.
On 5 November, the Limpopo education department lifted the suspension on the sale of food items to pupils with strict conditions after initially suspending it on 28 October.
The KwaZulu-Natal education department instructed principals on 29 October to meet and vet all vendors selling food items to pupils.
A total of 110 pupils from Tamaho Primary School in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, were treated at various clinics and hospitals for a suspected foodborne illness on Wednesday, while a 10-year-old girl from Alexandra in Johannesburg died on 2 November from a foodborne illness.
Six children from Naledi, Soweto, died last month after allegedly consuming food from a local spaza shop.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane advised schools and governing bodies to issue a circular to parents encouraging them to prepare meals at home instead of providing lunch money, “until the relevant authorities issue updated guidelines for food vendors”.
“Schools are encouraged to engage community organisations, education stakeholders, and small business associations to foster collaborative efforts aimed at preventing further incidents of foodborne illness,” he said.
The department in a statement said schools and governing bodies were instructed to closely monitor and regulate vendors, tuckshops, and other outlets that sell food to learners.
According to the statement, schools should ensure that only food of nutritional value is sold and that no expired or repackaged food items are sold to pupils.
Meanwhile, the Limpopo education department said food vendors would have to sign a service-level agreement with the school governing bodies and have a valid certificate of acceptability from the Department of Health.
“All food vendors serving schools will be required to maintain verifiable documentation demonstrating the origins of their products,” according to a circular dated 5 November from the Limpopo education department.
KwaZulu-Natal education department head Nkosinathi Ngcobo asked principals to meet with owners of shops situated along the routes to schools to discuss whether they were buying items from reputable retailers.
“It is our firm belief that the engagement of all vendors would assist in reducing such cases,” he said.
He stated that principals and governing bodies should register a manageable number of vendors and offer spaces for them to do business within the school premises.
“Vet all vendors to avoid letting individuals who may be in the sex offenders register into school,” Ngcobo said.
He added that pupils must be protected from anything that may compromise their lives, adding: “They must therefore be advised to avoid buying from unreliable/dodgy vendors en route to and from schools to protect themselves.”
Schools have no authority over vendors
Meanwhile, Anthea Cereseto, the national CEO of the Governing Body Foundation, said that schools has no authority over vendors outside their properties.
“Other government departments and local municipalities must deal with the vendors. The school can advise learners not to purchase from the vendors as a safety concern, however, such a move could conflict with the principle of open competition,” she said.
She said the instruction to stop food sales would have implications for school tuckshops.
“There will be the loss of sales, income loss and food wastage. The end of the year is approaching, and stock was ordered to cover sales until school closes so there will be a loss.”
The Gauteng circular “has gone too far”, as some schools had properly run tuckshops that complied with the health regulations, she added.
But she agreed that the food safety issue was a huge concern and that “schools do have some responsibility”.
Jaco Deacon, CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools, said provincial education departments did not have the legal authority to suspend food sales.
“One would assume if there’s a health crisis, the Department of Health would issue regulations, or local governments through municipal by-laws,” he said.
“It’s not the school’s responsibility to take over the responsibility of the Department of Health or local authorities.”
He added that the solution was not to close legitimate businesses on school grounds.
“In some instances, schools are not running the tuckshops, and they have agreements with third parties so they must honour those agreements.”
Basil Manuel, the executive officer of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), said they accepted that food should not be sold on school premises and that there must be greater vigilance.
“We are calling on parents to limit money given to children to go and buy at tuckshops. If we can squeeze this immediately, there will be no money to buy at tuckshops,” he said.
The executive officer of the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie, Paul Sauer, said it was the governing body’s responsibility to make sure that food vendors on school property had the necessary clearance and health certificates.
“Vendors outside school property should be regulated by the local municipality and the health department.”