Primary school staff accused of taking food meant for hungry learners

The Sakhesethu Primary School in Sundumbili, Mandeni, North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, whose teachers are being accused of stealing food from the National School Nutrition Programme meant for starving learners.

Allegations that teachers have been taking food supplied through the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) have sparked tensions among staff at Sakhesethu Primary School in Sundumbili, Mandeni, on KwaZulu-Natal's north coast.

The NSNP, South Africa's school feeding scheme, provides daily meals to more than nine million learners attending mainly quintile 1 to 3 public schools. The programme aims to alleviate hunger, improve concentration in the classroom and promote healthy nutrition among children from poorer communities.

However, at Sakhesethu Primary School, the programme has reportedly become the centre of a bitter dispute, with some staff members allegedly opposing the theft of food intended for learners.

According to Adora Mzobe, a former food handler at the school, some teachers regularly took food allocated to learners, with tinned pilchards allegedly among the most sought-after items.