ActionSA notes with grave concern the report that learners at nine schools in Tembisa are currently going without meals because the Gauteng Department of Education has failed to make timely payments to service providers, whilst deliveries have broken down.
This is not a mere administrative lapse, but it is a violation of both the children’s and service providers’ rights, a betrayal of our constitutional commitment to dignity and education and a direct consequence of poor governance, inefficiency and lack of accountability. This situation is unacceptable and, frankly, avoidable.
The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is a lifeline for many learners whose only reliable meal of the day comes at school. Cutting that lifeline pushes children into hunger, severely affecting concentration, learning outcomes and overall health.
The reports that thousands of pupils are without food in Tembisa, that some schools are rationing leftover supplies and that some may even suspend classes is not only embarrassing but reveals abdication of responsibilities from those entrusted with looking after the well-being of the most vulnerable learners.
The department’s response is that it is experiencing financial challenges and will finalise payments in the next two weeks, which is simply insufficient and a slap in the face to the learners facing this crisis. Two weeks is too long for children to wait without meals. Its denial of the crisis with the explanation that this is only limited to one service provider is not only hollow but also demonstrates the department’s lack of understanding of the dire conditions faced by learners they are supposed to serve.
With reports that service providers have not been paid for months, thereby under severe financial strain and are often proceeding with deliveries out of commitment, even as they accumulate debt, demonstrates the Department’s nonchalance in caring for learners and for ensuring that SMMEs are supported for economic growth to enable them to create job opportunities.
We must call out this failure for what it is: a systemic breakdown in accountability, procurement, and financial management within the provincial education department. With timelines for repayment. Two weeks ago, ActionSA called on the Department to conduct a forensic audit of procurement and payment practices within the school nutrition programme, including investigating irregular contracts and noncompliant bidders as well as provide timelines for service providers’ payments. The calls fell on deaf ears.
To address this crisis, ActionSA calls on the Gauteng Department of Education to:
• Release outstanding payments to all service providers within 72 hours to prevent further disruption of feeding schemes.
• Ensure delivery schedules are reinstated immediately to the nine affected schools (Reagile, Ebomini, Kanana, Mikateka, OR Tambo, Moriting, Winnie Mandela, Tembisa West, Umqhele, and Ivory Park) as a matter of priority.
• Deploy emergency food relief (with oversight) in the interim so that no learner goes hungry while the system is being corrected.
• Conduct a forensic audit of the procurement, contract management and payment systems within the provincial education department, to identify where bottlenecks and malfeasance have disrupted service delivery.
• Improve transparency and reporting by publishing weekly updates on payments made, deliveries completed and outstanding obligations to affected schools.
• Institute stronger oversight by involving civil society, school governing bodies (SGBs), parent associations and independent monitors to ensure the NSNP works as intended and is not derailed by internal dysfunction.
This is a test of our collective commitment to children’s rights. How the Department responds will indicate how seriously it takes them.
We caution that this crisis will not be an isolated incident, but it is symptomatic of deeper rot in local and provincial government systems: corruption, procurement delays, financial mismanagement, weak monitoring and a persistent lack of political will to fix the basics before grand schemes.
If governments cannot ensure that children receive a meal – something so fundamental – how can the same governments credibly talk about “quality education,” “infrastructure development,” or “social transformation”?
ActionSA will ensure that no learner is deprived of a meal because of bureaucratic or corrupt failure and will advocate for systems-based reforms so that feeding schemes are protected, budgets are ring-fenced and accountability is non-negotiable.
We call on the people of Gauteng – parents, learners, teachers and civil society – to hold the education department to account. Together, we must insist that no child be forced to learn on an empty stomach.