A Gr. 3- a pupil at a primary school in Tshepisong on the West Rand died suddenly at a local clinic on Friday after he and a partner allegedly contracted food poisoning. The two boys apparently ate a packet of biscuits before they started to feel bad.
The partner is currently recovering in hospital.
Steve Mabona, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education, says two learners at the Onkgopotse Tiro Primary School complained of stomach cramps in a class on Friday. The two boys were then rushed to the Tshepisong clinic where one of them was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
The surviving learner has since been taken to Leratong Hospital for further medical treatment and is currently in a stable condition.
Mabona says that according to the information available to the department, the two boys bought and ate a packet of biscuits from a local spaza shop before they started showing symptoms.
The department is now encouraging school governing bodies, parents and the wider communities to always be vigilant in relation to the food or snacks sold in and around schools.
Mabona says that if it is suspected that the food or snack may have expired, the local health or police authorities should be contacted.
