Durban — The South African Local Government Association (Salga) in KwaZulu-Natal has called on municipalities to co-ordinate relief efforts together with local businesses amid the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) crisis in the province.
Salga KZN also expressed its dismay at the collapse of the programme in parts of the province.
Salga KZN chairperson Thami Ntuli said the association was concerned about the current situation in respect of the NSNP.
Ntuli said that Salga was shocked to hear that this programme has faced numerous challenges, resulting in the non-delivery of nutrition in the schools, and where nutrition was delivered, it was in a condition that is not suitable for human consumption.
“While this is a national programme implemented by the provincial government, mayors cannot stand back and watch what is impacting the lives of children.
“Challenges affecting the delivery of food to children in schools impact all of us. In years to come, the dropout rate from this current fiasco will be quantifiable. For now, however, mayors can coordinate relief efforts,” Ntuli said.
He said that more than 9.6 million children in South Africa depended on the NSNP.
“It is quite astounding that while KZN has a high number of children that depend on the programme (every 2 million), KZN under-performs when it comes to gardens and other indicators,” Ntuli said.
He said that self-help and self-reliance are a philosophy that appears to have been abandoned by the province’s administration.
“With a competitive advantage of climate and rainfall, one would think KZN would outperform provinces like Gauteng in school garden initiatives, but this is not the case,” Ntuli said.
“The programme alleviates poverty and safeguards the right to education and nutritious food as this supports pupil's ability to learn.”
Ntuli added that possible local government interventions, in the short-term, to avoid health risks and food poisoning, that may result in unnecessary fatalities, and to elevate malnutrition.
“Salga urges municipalities to play a coordinating role in sourcing relief programmes from local stakeholders and the business sector. Salga also calls upon the private sector to respond by contacting mayors to identify and help the most impacted areas,” Ntuli said.
Meanwhile, the ANC in KZN has indicated that it will, on Wednesday, announce bold and decisive actions in relation to the rollout of the NSNP.
ANC KZN provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said the party in the province has been continuously receiving complaints about glitches associated with the roll-out of the NSNP.
“Consequently, the ANC has engaged relevant deployees of the ANC, leaders of society, youth formations and key stakeholders in the education sector,” Mtolo said.
“Uppermost is the urgent need to cushion millions of learners against food insecurity sparked by rising fuel and food prices.
“We underline our unwavering commitment to see the people of this province pulling in the same direction behind a common vision,” Mtolo continued.
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