The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has confirmed that all schools in the province will have received food items when schools reopen on Monday.
The province said it was all systems go with the National Schools Nutrition Programme as the department of education has put in place proper systems to monitor deliveries.
Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said on Thursday all payments for April, May and June have been made to all suppliers. Dube-Ncube said some payments for June were made last week and the department will continue to make payments on Friday.
“A positive development is that Ithala has now agreed to assist those who will need financial help,” she said.
She said Pacina Retail, the company that won the R2.1bn school nutrition tender, had “pulled out” and the department is dealing with the matter through its legal services and the provincial treasury.
“The aim is to determine how many supplies were delivered by Pacina and therefore how much money is due to them. The department of education hopes to finalise the matter soon,” said Dube-Ncube.
The province is the largest recipient of the national school nutrition programme, with a budget of more than R2bn to cater for about 2.4-million pupils in 5,400 schools.
The meals are meant for some of the poorest pupils in low-fee schools, with many coming from families who live below the poverty line.
Furthermore, there were 15 eThekwini schools in Umlazi and Pinetown districts that were affected by the floods and tornado that struck the district on June 27. The cost implications for repairs are estimated at more than R20m.
Dube-Ncube said after an assessment, some schools were identified as being in need of mobile classrooms, all of which have since been delivered to ensure schooling is not disrupted.
She added that the department of education has made sure that when schools reopen, teaching and learning will take place without any problems.
TimesLIVE
