The Gauteng Department of Education has confirmed the death of a Grade R learner from Dumezweni Primary School in Diepkloof due to suspected food-borne illness.
MEC Matome Chiloane confirmed the five-year-old boy died on Wednesday, November 20, and a further three children from the same school have been hospitalised after experiencing similar symptoms.
The learners are a Grade R girl, a Grade 1 girl, and a boy in Grade 4.
“According to available information, the learners, who reside in the same yard and were playing together, began showing severe symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea after allegedly consuming snacks. The five-year-old Grade R learner and the other children were taken to a local medical facility. Sadly, the Grade R learner was declared deceased, while the other three learners were transferred to another facility for further medical care,” Chiloane said.
Police have since opened an inquest docket to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In response to this devastating situation, the Department has deployed its Education Support Team to provide psychosocial services to the school community, ensuring that learners and staff receive the emotional and psychological support they need during this difficult time.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased learner and wish the hospitalised learners a speedy recovery,” Chiloane said.
In a separate incident, nine children from Mossel Bay had to be hospitalised after consuming chips bought at a local spaza shop on Monday.
The group of children complained of persistent stomach cramps after they shared the potato crisps.
On Friday, November 15, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation following the death of 23 children and more than 500 reported incidents of food-borne illnesses across the country.
Ramaphosa outlined a series of measures aimed at enhancing public health and safety. Among these was a commitment to remove hazardous pesticides from circulation and a directive mandating that all spaza shops and food-handling facilities register with their local municipalities within 21 days.
Failure to comply would result in enforcement actions, including the closure of unregistered businesses and potential criminal prosecutions.
Government on Thursday declared the food poisoning crisis a National Disaster, and directed all departments to take appropriate action to mitigate further incidents.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL