Mtubatuba – Claims by the ANC-led KwaZulu-Natal provincial government that all schools in the province have food and that all the problems with the school nutrition programme have been resolved have been proven wrong.
Following an investigation, IOL can now reveal that two months into the second term, some schools in Mtubatuba in the north of the province have no food.
As a result, parents are contributing money (R20 a child) to feed about 400 pupils at Nkonyane Primary School, near the Somkhele coal mine.
In some schools, like Machibini Primary School, also in the same area, pupils have to bring their firewood to cook since no gas was supplied.
Some rural schools, such as Ngaqa Primary School, also in Mtubatuba, which falls under the impoverished Umkhanyakude district, have run out of foodstuff after being supplied on one occasion.
In a provincial cabinet statement last week, the provincial government led by Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube met and later issued a statement.
It said the R2.1 billion school nutrition programme was on track, all schools have food and all teething problems have been resolved.
NEWS: Claims by the ANC-led KZN provincial government that all schools have food and that all teething problems with the schools' nutrition programme have been resolved have been proven wrong. One can now reveal that some schools in Mtubatuba have no food and parents are pic.twitter.com/dcFBeOvHlF
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) June 1, 2023
The provincial government has dismissed constant reports from some rural schools, mainly in the north of the province, who said they have no food or have not received enough, and appealed for help, as “misleading”.
“All challenges facing the school nutrition programme in the province have been addressed and children are indeed being fed in schools.
“We are also particularly concerned about misleading reports regarding the non-delivery of food in some schools, where investigations have revealed that those schools had in fact received food deliveries,” read a statement that was attributed to Dube-Ncube.
IOL went to the north of the province and was able to verify that Nkonyane Primary School has never received food.
The principal of the school, who was only identified as Dr Mlambo, was not around when IOL arrived and she ignored questions that were sent to her about the matter.
However, the chairperson of the school governing body (SGB), Velephi Ndlela, confirmed that they have no food and they resolved to fund it from their own pockets since pupils are starving.
“We met with the principal, as the SGB, where she told us that the situation was dire and something had to be done.
“Our first suggestion was contributing R5 and it became clear that was not enough to carry them through.
“Some of the kids were collapsing due to hunger and during their break they used to go and cram the kitchen area looking for food.
“It was then suggested that parents must prepare lunch boxes for the kids, however, that idea was dumped when it became clear that not all parents will afford that and the learners will bring different food.
“We then settled (on the idea) to contribute R20 per child on different occasions and buy different basic foodstuffs like sour milk and tinned beans,” she said.
IOL then trekked to Machibi Primary School where parents confirmed that they have a shortage of food.
Some of them who spoke to IOL and asked not to be named so their children are not victimised, claimed that there was only one delivery – of cabbages.
“The woman who cooks for the children is sometimes forced to bring soups from her home to cook for the starving learners,” one parent claimed.
There are also reports that some young pupil faint due to hunger, however, IOL could not find evidence of that claim.
Across from Machibini Primary School is Mawombe High School, where about 600 pupils have to bring their firewood since no gas was delivered for the school to cook with.
“Our kids there are told to bring their firewood or else they will not eat. They have no gas to cook,” one parent told IOL.
The issue of gas supply has been a bone of contention between suppliers and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education after it placed a cap on how much money they can use to buy gas for school use.
IOL previously reported that suppliers complained that the cap is far below the price charged in the open market for gas, thus meaning that they will make a loss.
Supplying gas was initially not included in the tender, but it was included at a later stage when it emerged that schools required it.
Furthermore, IOL visited Ngaqa Primary School which is along the Mtubatuba-Hlabisa-Nongoma road and it learnt that they have no gas to cook.
The school has about 600 pupils and buys firewood regularly for cooking.
The school also has a regular food shortage.
The principal of the school said she was away on a short sick leave.
Questions sent to the premier’s office and the provincial Department of Education shortly after the visit to these schools on Wednesday were not answered.