DA demands adequate measures to avoid food poisoning in schools

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is demanding that the Gauteng Department of Education urgently implement adequate safety and hygiene measures in school nutrition programmes to avoid food poisoning.

DA INSPECTIONS UNCOVERS NEGLIGENCE

This follows an oversight inspection by the DA at Rodney Mokoena Primary School in Soshanguve following a food poisoning incident.

“We discovered that 78 learners fell ill with alleged food poisoning and were rushed to the hospital for medical attention. Four learners were admitted to George Mkhari Hospital and discharged on Thursday,” said Khume Ramulifho MPL, the DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education.

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“We were also informed that parents closed the school gates on Thursday morning, demanding answers on what happened.”Ramulifho

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STEPS TAKEN AFTER FOOD POISONING INCIDENT

Furthermore, Tshwane Environmental Health has taken food samples for testing, and the results will be available on Wednesday next week, according to the DA.

“The department has suspended seven food handlers from the school for not following instructions on preparing samp, which was served to learners. It is alleged that they soaked the samp on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, the day they prepared the food,” Ramulifho updated.

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MORE DEMANDS FROM THE DA TO ENSURE LEARNERS’ SAFETY

“The DA demands that the department ensure that all kitchen facilities and personnel meet health standards and urges the municipalities to conduct regular inspections to assess the compliance and quality of food provided to learners in our schools.
“In addition, we also demand that the department provide alternative means to serve food starting Monday, as learners are without food due to the suspension of the food handlers,” Ramulifho explained.