South Africa: Learners and Kitchen Staff Fall Sick As Sewage Surrounds Soshanguve School Feeding Scheme

For the past five years, more than 800 learners and staff have been living with recurring sewage spills at Seetsa sa Kgwedi Primary School in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria. On multiple occasions, three learners between the ages of 4 and 8 have fallen ill during school hours, experiencing stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.

Parents were called to take their children to a nearby clinic for treatment. Kitchen staff have also reported similar symptoms, forcing them to seek medical attention at Block X Clinic in recent months.

Health-e News visited the school on August 17, and found kitchen staff preparing meals close to sewage spills, while wastewater pooled around parts of the school and near a tap used by learners for drinking water. The overwhelming smell from the sewage leakage was accompanied by visible flies across the school grounds. Despite the hazardous conditions, staff and learners continued their routines, with young learners even jumping over the sewage spill.

Three main drainage points were observed to be blocked in and around the school grounds, with one located about 100 meters from classrooms, another about 10 meters from the foundation phase block, and the third outside the school grounds without a lid. During summer, when it rains, the rocks become slippery, causing learners, teachers, and staff to trip over the sewage.

The kitchen staff member expressed concern that learners, teachers, and staff frequently get sick, attributing the symptoms to exposure to the sewage. Parents have also attempted to assist in cleaning the affected areas, but their efforts are deemed futile since the sewage never stops. Despite the constant presence of sewage, the school is compelled to continue cooking as other learners depend on the meals for survival.

Kitchen staff members have also had to navigate the sewage while working, sometimes falling inside it themselves.