KwaZulu-Natal educational authorities have refuted allegations that two children who had allegedly ate from the National Schools Nutrition Programme (NSNP) meals at Ziphembeleni Secondary School in Inanda, north-west of Durban, got sick as a result of the alleged rotten food.
A screen-grab posted by the Education Union of SA president Scelo Bhengu on Twitter, where he tags KZN Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu, shows a WhatsApp chat where an unknown person complains about pupils being sick after eating the alleged rotten food.
The person in the chat says a Grade 12 pupil who had eaten samp at the school on Wednesday was sick. The pupil complained about stomach cramps.
“In fact there are two pupils that are having stomach cramps, they are with me now as we speak. Even now they are frantic.
“These children are burping fire, they are claiming to have been fed rubbish,” the WhatsApp texts read.
On Wednesday, KwaZulu Natal MEC Kwazi Mshengu’s office confirmed that he had directed the NSNP to investigate allegations of rotten food distribution at the school.
This is after the department received a video showing a 5kg samp pack with dark spots all around.
At the time, the department’s spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said there had been no reported cases reported of children or staff being sick as a result of the food.
Mahlambi said on Thursday the director for School Nutrition and the qualified dietician went to the school.
“They interviewed all structures at the school including, amongst others, the site committee representing educators, the RCL representing learners and School Nutrition Committee. There is no issue of learners eating rotten food.
“The learners ate today in the presence of these two officials and there was no issue. A comprehensive report will be written and tabled to the head of department. We are following the motive of misleading on this issue,” said Mahlambi.