Cape Town – The Save South Africa movement has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for not responding adequately to the deaths of children linked to food contamination.
According to SABC, the Save South Africa movement claimed that Ramaphosa ignored a request to declare a state of emergency after six children died from exposure to a harmful pesticide in Soweto.
Although the pesticide was not found in food items, Save SA expressed concern over the government’s lack of action.
“As Save SA, we are now worried at the conduct of the President. We are not here to disrespect Mr Ramaphosa as the President but we are concerned at his lack of action attitude especially when children are dying in numbers while others remain hospitalised. As the movement, we are of the view that the government is scared to temper with other countries but rather sacrifice innocent children in order to maintain relations,” the report quoted Save South Africa’s Tebogo Mashilompane as saying.
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Meanwhile, several Gauteng Departments were pushing to declare the cases of food-borne illnesses in the province a disaster following a rise in food poisoning cases throughout the province.
The latest incident saw 110 learners from Tamaho Primary School in Katlehong sent to the hospital after experiencing symptoms of stomach cramps and vomiting d uring break time.
The learners were transported to nearby medical facilities, a statement said.
“The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) is actively monitoring the incident and will provide additional information as the investigation proceeds,” the GDE’s Steven Mabona said.
The department confirmed that all 110 students were admitted for medical attention. Of these, 98 were discharged on Wednesday night, while the remaining 12, who stayed under observation, were released on Thursday morning, Mabona told Newzroom Afrika.
Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona says all the pupils from Tamaho Primary School in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, have been discharged from hospital. 110 pupils were hospitalised after they complained about stomach cramps after allegedly eating samp at the school… pic.twitter.com/j0r6iUXLrc
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) November 7, 2024
He said that any food linked to foodborne illnesses were tested and the department was on the ground to investigate these incidents. While he understood that parents were upset about the incident, he said they had assured parents that necessary testing has continued and the tests will be presented to them.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
