John AdoyiAt least 120 pupils from Gobisizwe Agricultural School in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa were rushed to hospitals on Wednesday after a suspected case of mass food poisoning. One child, who was vomiting blood, had to be airlifted to hospital.
Emergency medical services responded quickly according to reports, transferring pupils to three health centres, including Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelProvincial health spokesperson Siyanda Manana said the affected children had eaten a meal consisting of meat, samp, beetroot, carrots and beans. Some also reported having rice and tuna.
“We are treating children for vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, abdominal pain and seizures. Thirty have been diagnosed with complications. No deaths have been reported so far,” Manana said.
Authorities said calls were still coming in hours later as more pupils began falling ill after returning home.
This is the latest in a string of food poisoning incidents in schools across South Africa, which have raised the alarm among health officials, educators and the public.
The Eastern Cape alone recorded hundreds of cases in the past year. These included 340 students hospitalised after two separate outbreaks at Ndamase Senior Secondary School, also in Ngqeleni, and nearly 200 pupils in Komani who became ill after buying food from vendors outside school grounds.
In Gqeberha, 30 pupils were treated for food poisoning after eating food purchased from informal sellers.
The national concern escalated last October when several children in Gauteng died after consuming snacks later found to be laced with pesticides. In response, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Parliament that food safety would become a national priority, particularly within school feeding programmes and early childhood development centres.
The Department of Basic Education and the Department of Health committed to stricter oversight of food preparation and supply.
Reacting to Wednesday’s outbreak, Eastern Cape Education spokesperson Ceduma Mboxela said health protocols were being followed, but that it was too early to share further details.
A memorandum issued by the Eastern Cape Department of Education in October 2024 acknowledged that the rise in poisoning cases had caused deep concern.
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It warned that while many of the cases were linked to food sold by local vendors near schools, the perception that school meals themselves were unsafe was damaging the reputation of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). The programme feeds nearly 10 million learners daily and is widely credited with improving educational outcomes and reducing child hunger.
Fundile Gade, the Eastern Cape’s Member of the Executive Council for Education said that there is no evidence linking recent outbreaks to meals served through the NSNP. However, he acknowledged the poor state of infrastructure in many schools.
In a presentation to the provincial legislature last year, Gade said 149 schools still used makeshift or unsafe kitchens, including mud structures and converted classrooms, many of which did not meet basic health standards.
The department has funds to upgrade only 20 kitchens per year, at a cost of approximately $11,000 USD each. Gade said any savings from the nutrition programme are reinvested in kitchen improvements, but confirmed that feeding funds cannot be diverted to new construction.
He also called for schools to work with environmental health practitioners to ensure food safety certification.
Meanwhile, teacher unions and advocacy groups have continued to raise the alarm. The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has called for permanent psychosocial support in affected schools, and for tighter regulation of food vendors operating near school grounds.
