• DA to table parliamentary questions to DoE on compliance,
• Provinces across SA failing to provide safe conditions for food handling,
• KZN DoE must come clean on how many schools are compliant.
Note to Editors: Soundbite by Sakhile Mngadi Mngadi MPL in English (here)
The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is deeply concerned by revelations regarding food safety compliance within the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and in particular the failure by KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) to provide figures on whether school kitchens within the province comply with legal requirements.
The NSNP feeds approximately 9.4 million learners nationally each day. Yet figures from six provinces show that only 1 616 of 8 889 schools providing meals have Certificates of Acceptability (CoAs), legally required for premises where food is handled, prepared or stored.
Alarmingly, KZN was one of three provinces that did not provide media outlet, News24’s recent survey with figures on the number of compliant school kitchens. This lack of transparency is unacceptable given the enormous number of vulnerable learners who depend on the NSNP as a reliable source of daily nutrition.
A feeding programme cannot simply be measured by whether food reaches a plate. KZN’s DoE has a responsibility to ensure that meals are prepared, stored and served under conditions that protect learners from contamination, food poisoning and illness.
The DA will table parliamentary questions to establish
• The number of KZN schools participating in the NSNP that currently hold valid CoAs;
• The number that are non-compliant;
• The reasons for non-compliance
• What inspections are conducted; and
• What plans, timelines and budgets exist to bring every affected kitchen into compliance.
KZN learners must never be forced to choose between hunger and potentially unsafe food. The DA, as a responsible partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) will insist that the province’s DoE comes clean.