Johannesburg: The Department of Basic Education is working to prevent the infiltration of industrial and agricultural pesticides into schools as part of a broader multidisciplinary effort to address the recent deaths of school-going children due to foodborne illnesses. Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube emphasised the department’s role in safeguarding learners, particularly as many of the recent fatalities have involved children of school-going age.

According to South African Government News Agency, Gwarube stated that extensive inspections have been conducted regarding the school nutrition programme to determine if it has been compromised. The findings revealed that the majority of the deaths are not linked to the school nutrition programme. Gwarube referenced an incident two weeks prior, where several children fell ill after consuming food, but she confirmed it was unrelated to foodborne illnesses or pesticide poisoning.

The Minister expressed concerns about
the risk posed by children bringing snacks into schools, which are often shared among learners. She stressed that pesticides intended for industrial and agricultural use should not be present on school premises, including areas where food for the school nutrition programme is stored.

In response to these concerns, the department is implementing stricter guidelines to protect food in schools from contamination. Measures include strengthening the school nutrition programme, which feeds 9.7 million learners daily, ensuring food handlers and distributors adhere to strict hygiene protocols, and issuing comprehensive guidance on food storage and handling to provinces and schools.

“Our priority is to ensure that the school nutrition programme, which feeds 9.7 million learners every single day, remains uncompromised,” Gwarube stated. “We want to ensure that food handlers and distributors adhere to strict guidelines to continue providing meals to learners daily. We are confident that sufficient guidance has been pro
vided to provinces and schools, and we aim to insulate the programme from further contamination. Additionally, we are collaborating with other Ministers to fulfill our responsibilities at the school level,” she added.