The KwaZulu-Natal Nutrition Business Forum, which represents suppliers to the National School Nutrition Programme at district level, says the delivery of food supplies to schools has returned to normal.
This comes after the debacle with the feeding scheme for poor learners at the start of the second term in the province.
Thousands of schools either did not receive supplies, or supplies arrived late.
The problems arose after a centralised supplier was contracted to supply the whole province. The provincial education department then reverted back to decentralised supply at district level. The chairperson of the school governing body at Maguqu Primary School near Eshowe, Bongani Hlongwane, is calling on government to ensure that the scheme is not disrupted again.
“At this school Maguqu, we also had a problem when schools re-opened, the children were not getting food.We are calling on government to ensure that the school nutrition program is not disrupted. When the program is disrupted, they are unable to concentrate. There are children who rely on this nutrition program for a meal. We are happy now. Children are getting food.”
KwaZulu-Natal Nutrition Business Forum chairperson, Lindani Matiwana says the department has taken steps to formalise the renewed arrangement with smaller suppliers at district level.
“The department is still busy with the processes, they have given us some new budget allocations, they have given an appointment letter. Anyway, what is outstanding is the new service level agreement. I was told that they are still busy with it, so they still have to consult their legal, get some advice in terms of how to do all about in terms of doing that. But, we are more than halfway going there in terms of the paperwork.”
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