At least 109 pupils from Ikamva Lesizwe Public School in Kenton-on-Sea received medical treatment on Monday afternoon for suspected food poisoning, believed to have been caused by the umphokoqo (maize meal with sour milk) they ate for lunch.
The pupils started vomiting and experiencing diarrhoea allegedly after eating the meal served at their school during the lunch break as part of the school nutrition programme.
The pupils’ parents said they were still in shock after their children had to be rushed to hospital or a nearby clinic.
Provincial health spokesperson Yonela Dekeda said about 80 of the children affected were taken to the Port Alfred clinic by taxis organised by the school to assist the ambulances.
She said the pupils were all later taken to the Port Alfred Hospital for further examination, and were treated and discharged.
“So far, children are only presenting vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps,” Dekeda said earlier in the afternoon.
Nonzwakazi Nyisa, whose child is in grade 3 at the school, said she was made aware of the drama by a fellow pupil.
She frantically rushed to the school to check if her child was OK.
“I came running from the house and as I was approaching the school, I heard the screams and children running up and down, and I then began to look for my child.”
Nyisa said the children were taken to a clinic opposite the school, with ambulances speeding back and forth to transport them.
“What happened today [Monday] was traumatic.
“The thought of losing a child carelessly like that was frustrating — my child was treated at the hospital and I came back [home] with her, but she is still not well,” she said.
Another frustrated parent, Nokwayiyo Ntuja, said she had found her 12-year-old son at the clinic after she was alerted when the children fell ill.
“I have never panicked more in my life than today.
“I could not even move because of shock, but prayed that my child won’t die,” she said.
“I am very disturbed.
“We don’t know what happened except that the children ate the maize meal and started to vomit.”
The parents said that due to the large number of pupils affected, taxi drivers had to step in to transport some of the children to the clinic and the hospital.
Ntombizodwa Bikani, 52, said pupils in grades 1 to 7 were affected.
“This is disturbing for our community — we have never seen something like this before and we hope the department investigates what happened so that it never happens again,” she said.
Non-profit Khula Community Development Project’s director, Petros Majola, said the matter needed to be investigated.
“We can’t be quick to judge and point fingers at this time, but it needs to be investigated what was wrong with what the children consumed,” he said.
“The department needs to be extra careful with the school nutrition and what is fed at schools.
“[This] is shocking and something that cannot be overlooked.”
Education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said it was fortunate that department officials had been in the Ndlambe Municipality to inspect whether the grant for school nutrition was being used fruitfully when they were informed of the incident.
He said officials from the district and provincial office, as well as the department of basic education, were on site monitoring the situation and providing psychosocial services to the pupils, teachers and parents.
“The department is monitoring the situation in collaboration with the department of health.
“Currently, all officials and parents are still awaiting medical reports on what led to the situation,” Mtima added.
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