The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has introduced new guidelines to regulate vendors selling food to pupils, both on school premises and nearby schools.
This comes in response to recent food poisoning incidents affecting pupils in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Seven pupils from Bongucele Secondary School in Mthwalume were hospitalised after falling ill after they ate chips from a local vendor on Wednesday. Last week pupils from Ngaqa Primary School in Mtubatuba fell ill after consuming snacks purchased from a vendor outside the school’s premises.
KZN Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka highlighted the importance of protecting students’ health, urging pupils to avoid purchasing from unauthorised vendors.
“As a department, we are committed to ensuring the health and safety of all our learners and therefore, discourage our learners from buying food products from unauthorised vendors,” Hlomuka stated.
The department has issued a circular advising principals and School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to register and vet vendors operating within school premises and to encourage similar practices among vendors who operate near schools.
The circular specifies that schools should only allow a “manageable number” of vetted vendors on-site, ensuring compliance with cleanliness and health standards. Schools were also encouraged to engage local shop owners along routes frequently used by students to promote safer, healthier food options.
The new measures were welcomed by Vee Gani, chairperson of the KZN Parents Association, who noted that they aligned with parent concerns.
“We have been advocating for a while now that when you get vendors to sell food in schools, you have got to ensure that they are selling healthy food,” said Gani.
He supported the department’s call for SGBs and principals to take a proactive role.
“I think what the department is doing is asking School Governing Bodies and principals to take an active role in managing what foods are being sold in school. That is because you want to make sure that the vendors are buying from legitimate sources.”
Gani also highlighted the challenges of monitoring vendors beyond school grounds, noting that schools have limited jurisdiction over these areas.
“It is very difficult for schools to control the spaza shops and vendors outside the school because they have little to no jurisdiction over that. But I think the circular is guiding them to have meaningful discussions with spaza shops and vendors outside of schools and tell them about the importance of selling healthy food,” he said.
He urged parents to consider preparing healthy lunches for their children.
“There was a time where parents used to prepare lunch for their children, but now it appears to be a trend that parents give their children money to buy whatever they want.”
The DA KZN spokesperson on education, Sakhile Mngadi, also voiced support for the department's approach, describing it as “a move in the right direction.”
Mngadi emphasised the urgency of the issue.
“This matter is now extremely urgent given reports that a further seven Mthwalume learners were rushed to hospital on Wednesday after consuming snacks from a nearby trader.”
The DA has called for a special education portfolio committee meeting to address the regulation of food sold near schools.
“The problem appears to be taking place in predominantly rural and particularly poor KZN communities, emphasising the need for local government intervention,” Mngadi said.
He added that collaboration with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) could support the enforcement of vendor regulations.