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- KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has ordered an investigation into the National School Nutrition Programme.
- This follows reports of inadequate food supply to schools in the province.
- The investigation is set to ensure that pupils have balanced, nutritious meals daily.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has ordered a full-scale investigation into the National School Nutrition Programme after reports of inadequate food supply at some schools in the province.
The probe will investigate the food distribution model and quality of food supplied to 5 444 schools in the province that are recipients of the feeding scheme.
According to the premier, she has directed the special advisor in the Office of the Premier advocate Linda Zama, together with the research and monitoring team, Operation Sukuma Sakhe teams, community development workers and ward committee members, to conduct an investigation and analysis of food distribution at participating schools in every ward.
The premier said the investigation would also establish the extent of interruptions and produce a comprehensive report on the status of the rollout and management of the food nutrition programme in the province.
"Our aim is to ensure that all 2.4 million learners in quintiles 1 to 3, including some quintile 4 and 5 schools, continue to be provided with balanced nutritious meals daily. The National School Nutrition Programme grant allocation for the 2023-'24 financial year amounts to R2.1 billion, which demonstrates our commitment as government to ensure that children in schools do not go hungry," Dube-Ncube added.
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"We need to understand the reasons for the glitches in the system so that necessary interventions are implemented with immediate effect to address the situation. There will be consequence management after the conclusion of all investigations where there is evidence of wrongdoing."
The premier said she expected the investigation to be swift but thorough to ensure that no children were hungry while at school in the future.
Dube-Ncube committed to making the outcomes public "because we want to deepen the character of a clean and transparent government in KwaZulu-Natal".
