Kids fall ill after eating ‘ou chips’
IKaya Primary School.
At least 25 learners from IKaya Primary School had to be rushed to Stellenbosch Hospital’s Emergency Centre for gastrointestinal symptoms after they allegedly ate chips bought from nearby street vendors.
It is believed that the learners bought the chips (snacks) from the women who normally sell them during lunch and that these women normally stock these types of snacks from foreign-owned shops.
A Ward 12 councillor from Kayamandi said that following this incident, they have called a meeting with the forum of Somali shop owners to explain to them and the community what happened.
“This has shocked us as the community, and we need to address this as soon as possible as it puts the lives of our children at risk. There’s no confirmation at this stage that the chips came directly from the foreign shop owners; however, as a precautionary measure, we have to call all stakeholders, vendors, parents, and the school’s government body to ensure that we deal with this matter,” said Tomose.
Tomose has urged parents to stop giving money to learners but rather prepare lunch boxes to prevent them from being exposed to such dangers.
“At this stage, we are gathering all the information from the relevant stakeholders, and from there, we will act. We wanted to first give the school and the governing body a chance to let them deal with the issue internally. Meanwhile, we urged the parents to work with the school recommendation of teaching their children about health,” he said.
Sandra Maritz, Western Cape Government Health & Wellness communication officer, has confirmed that the learners were at the hospital.
“We can confirm that on November 7, 25 learners from the Kayamandi area visited Stellenbosch Hospital’s Emergency Centre with mild gastrointestinal symptoms. They received the appropriate care, and no one required hospitalisation or was kept overnight,” said Maritz.
Kerry Mauchline spokesperson to Education MEC David Maynier said: "Unfortunately, we don’t have any details regarding chips or a tuckshop. Ikaya Primary has confirmed that eight of their learners complained of feeling ill yesterday and were treated at Stellenbosch Hospital; they were not hospitalised. Most of the learners are back at school today.”
Nosisa Sigwayi, who is the mother of one of the kids, said she is pleased that her child came back safely from the hospital.
“What I understand is that the children ate chips bought from the gate of the school, not Somali shop owners, and yes, the vendors buy these goods from the Somalians. I want the women that sell at the school to please stop selling these chips; they must rather sell items such as Kota (sandwiches),” said Sigwayi.
Earlier in October, two Grade 1 pupils from a primary school in Soweto died after allegedly eating biscuits and drinking juice at a local foreign-run spaza shop.
It is alleged that four children purchased biscuits at a local shop and started vomiting afterwards. Two of the children died, while two others were in critical condition at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
In the Eastern Cape in the same month, over 120 learners were treated in hospitals and local clinics after they reported having bought snacks and food from local hawkers or shops.
The learners presented abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, itchiness, a high temperature, and shortness of breath.
These incidents led to a widespread panic across the country, demanding the authorities do something about the alleged expired goods that are sold at foreign-owned shops.