Dear Editor
Parents at Gobizizwe Agricultural School are still in shock after last week’s foodborne illness that saw scores of learners fall ill.
Today, I was accompanied by DA Shadow MEC for Agriculture, Heinrich Müller MPL, DA OR Tambo Constituency Leader, Mlindi Nhanha MP, and DA Phesheya Kwenciba Constituency Leader, Fezeka Mbiko MP on an oversight inspection at the school.
We engaged with parents who were at the school for a briefing following the food poisoning incident last week. I conveyed a message of support to the school community and assured parents that this matter would be fully investigated and that the findings must be made public.
The Democratic Alliance also handed over a stationery donation for the school.
The fear and frustration expressed at the venue were palpable. Families want simple answers to urgent questions. They want to know that tomorrow’s meal will be safe, that their children will be protected, and that the system will not fail them again.
The DA will be tabling a motion in the Legislature on Thursday, 21 August 2025, to demand a full provincial audit of all school kitchen infrastructure and facilities, including compliance with municipal health and safety by-laws. This must be a province-wide review with clear timelines, public reporting, and an action plan to fix what is not compliant.
An internal report from the Department of Health records 169 cases linked to the incident between 12 and 15 August. The majority of cases presented on 13 August after a school event, with common symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
Environmental Health Practitioners collected food and environmental samples for testing and noted that the kitchen and serving areas were in acceptable condition during inspection. All affected learners reported eating the school meal, which included samp, chicken, carrots, beetroot, and gravy.
These facts underscore the need for rapid, transparent testing and public reporting so that families are not left to speculate.
The Department of Education must accept responsibility for providing safe, compliant, and fit-for-purpose kitchen infrastructure at all qualifying schools. It is not acceptable to shift the burden onto impoverished schools to build or upgrade kitchens from savings in the National School Nutrition Programme. Where infrastructure is lacking, the department must budget, build, and certify.
If the source of the outbreak is traced to handling practices rather than external contamination, every kitchen worker must receive basic health and safety training and appropriate PPE without delay. Supplier and storage compliance must also be verified across the district, with any non-compliant providers suspended pending investigation.
Where sample collection was limited, the protocol must be strengthened to ensure adequate clinical and food specimens are gathered in future incidents for conclusive results.
Our focus is the health and dignity of learners. Parents should never have to worry that a meal at school will put their children in hospital. The people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers, and a future built on dignity, opportunity, and honest government.
Regards
Horatio Hendricks MPL
DA Shadow MEC for Education