The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has written to Education MEC, Sipho Hlomuka (view here) in a bid to ensure that regulations around vendors selling any kind of food to school children are strengthened.
The appeal comes after scores of children at Ngaqa Primary School in Mtubatuba were admitted to hospital earlier today. This after buying and consuming food from vendors outside the school.
According to media reports, 22 learners have already been admitted to hospital, with the number expected to rise. The snacks are sold from unregulated vendors, mostly aligned to stores operated by foreign nationals.
This latest incident comes just a few days after five young children from Soweto died after consuming contaminated snacks.
The DA welcomes recent developments from NATJOINTS – the national structure responsible for coordinating State security – which is treating these incidents as a potential threat to our country and its citizens.
However, it is not enough for these horrendous incidents to be investigated in isolation. KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) must ensure policy meets action by ensuring the safety of our learners through strict regulations around food sold to learners at schools.
The DA also recognises the role of municipal enforcement in this current crisis. We therefore call for a joint collaboration between MEC Hlomuka and his COGTA counterpart, MEC Buthelezi in a in a bid to strengthen municipal law enforcement as well.
The DA urges parents to ensure that their children only purchase snacks from accredited outlets to ensure a further safety barrier against this growing concern.
Government must act swiftly if more loss of life is to be prevented.