The Economic Pioneers Transformation Aid South African Workers Union (Eptasawu) has accused the African National Congress (ANC) of improperly influencing the awarding of National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) tenders in Limpopo.
This allegation surfaced following a food poisoning incident on Thursday, 14 November, where more than 70 pupils from Dzumeri Primary School, near Giyani, were hospitalized after consuming porridge and milk as part of the NSNP.
Eptasawu president Austin Mabasa claimed that the supplier responsible for the food at the school was not from the local area and had ties to senior ANC officials in the Mopani district. “The supplier is a friend to senior ANC leaders,” Mabasa stated.
Mabasa further alleged that the milk provided to the pupils lacked an expiry date, and the contact numbers on the milk container were non-functional. He condemned the actions of the supplier, calling for swift action. “We strongly condemn the protection of the supplier who provided ‘contaminated’ milk to innocent children,” he added.
The union is calling for the immediate release of the investigation report to determine what caused the food poisoning and for the supplier to be arrested. Eptasawu also demanded the supplier’s company be blacklisted from providing food to the public.
In response to the incident, Limpopo Education spokeswoman Mosebjane Kgaffe clarified that the affected pupils had already completed their summative tests for the day before being hospitalized. She confirmed that arrangements had been made for Grade 7 pupils to sit for their missed exams.
Mabasa also urged the education department to support students who missed their final exams due to hospitalization.
Meanwhile, ANC Limpopo spokesman Jimmy Machaka denied the accusations, stating that the five ANC officials in the Mopani district had no involvement in the tender process. “The nutrition school tenders are managed by the education department,” Machaka clarified.
