KNYSNA NEWS - A police investigation is under way following reports that five children from White Location, Knysna, were taken to hospital on Monday 25 November after allegedly consuming food from a local spaza shop.

The children, who are all learners at Chris Nissen Primary School, complained of stomach cramps and were admitted to hospital for observation. They were discharged the same day and returned to school the following day.

'Cause of symptoms being probed'

Chris Spies, Southern Cape police spokesperson, said in a statement that the cause of the children's symptoms was being investigated and there was no conclusive evidence linking them to the food apparently consumed.

Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond confirmed that the five learners were taken to hospital after experiencing stomach cramps.

"They had indicated that they had consumed food from a local spaza shop. We must, however, emphasise that there is no conclusive evidence as yet as to what caused the stomach cramps," she said in a statement.

'Items collected from shop'

"The local environmental health authorities collected items from the shop and will communicate the outcome once examined and finalised."

In a recent press release the WCED noted that across the country there had been reports of learners falling ill after consuming food items either served in or near schools or bought within the community.

"In many cases, these reports have been false and have been initiated through rumours on social media platforms," the release said.

"We ask the public not to spread unverified rumours, as they cause unnecessary anxiety, particularly during exam periods when students need to focus on their academic work.

"We can also confirm that there have been no reports of food poisoning within our schools involving our National School Nutrition Programme."

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