DBE STOPS SELLING OF ALL FOOD SALES AT SCHOOLS

The Gauteng education department set a notice on Friday instructing all government schools to suspend the sale of food in and around schools in the province.

The suspension was to be imposed with immediate effect until further notice.

The department said the decision was made based on the “alarming increase in incidents of foodborne illnesses” that have affected pupils across various schools across the country.

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane requested principals to forward the notice to parents.

“Schools are encouraged to engage community organisations, education stakeholders, and small business associations to foster collaborative efforts aimed at preventing further incidents of foodborne illness.”

Gauteng isn’t the first department to make such a choice.

The Free State stopped the sale of food items in and outside schools until further notice by health inspectors and the police.

In Limpopo, the restrictions were imposed on 28 October and then lifted with strict conditions, while KwaZulu-Natal instructed principals to meet and vet all food vendors on the school premises and around the school.

Jaco Deacon, the CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools, said the provincial education departments didn’t possess the legal authority to suspend food sales.

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