Cape Town - At least 25 learners from Ikaya Primary School had to be rushed to Stellenbosch Hospital’s emergency centre for gastrointestinal symptoms after they allegedly ate chips bought from nearby street vendors.
It is believed that the learners bought the chips from women who buy their stocks of the snacks from foreign-owned shops and sell them during lunch time.
Kayamandi ward councillor Ayanda Tomose said that following this incident, they called a meeting with the forum of Somali shop owners to explain to them and the community what happened.
“This has shocked us as the community, and we need to address this as soon as possible as it puts the lives of our children at risk,” said Tomose.
“There’s no confirmation at this stage that the chips came directly from the foreign shop owners. However, as a precautionary measure, we have to call all stakeholders, vendors, parents, and the school’s governing body to ensure that we deal with this matter.”
Tomose urged parents to stop giving money to learners and to rather prepare lunch boxes to prevent them from being exposed to such dangers.
“At this stage, we are gathering all the information from the relevant stakeholders, and from there, we will act. We wanted to first give the school and the governing body a chance to deal with the issue internally.
“Meanwhile, we urged parents to work with the school recommendation of teaching their children about health,” he said.
Sandra Maritz, Western Cape Government Health & Wellness communication officer confirmed that the learners were at the hospital.
“They (the learners) received the appropriate care, and no one required hospitalisation or was kept overnight,” said Maritz.
Education MEC David Maynier’s spokesperson Kerry Mauchline said: “Unfortunately, we don’t have any details regarding chips or a tuckshop.
“Ikaya Primary has confirmed that eight of their learners complained of feeling ill yesterday and were treated at Stellenbosch Hospital; they were not hospitalised. Most of the learners are back at school today.”
Nosisa Sigwayi, mother of one of the kids, said she was pleased that her child came back safely from the hospital.
“What I understand is that the children ate chips bought at the gate of the school, not Somali shop owners, and yes, the vendors buy these goods from the Somalians.
“I want the women who sell at the school to please stop selling these chips; they must rather sell items such as Kota (sandwiches),” said Sigwayi.
Last month, two Grade 1 pupils from a primary school in Soweto died after allegedly eating biscuits and drinking juice at a local foreign-run spaza shop.
Two children died, while two others were in critical condition in Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
In the Eastern Cape in the same month, more than 120 learners were treated in hospitals and local clinics after they reported having bought snacks and food from local hawkers or shops.
The learners presented abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, itchiness, a high temperature, and shortness of breath.
These incidents led to widespread panic across the country, with communities demanding the authorities do something about the alleged expired goods sold at foreign-owned shops.