The Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, said the incident in which learners fell ill at the Maria Mwengere Senior Secondary School hostel was not a result of food poisoning.

Steenkamp asserted that the contamination of water in a water tank caused the incident.

Presenting a ministerial statement in the National Assembly, Steenkamp stated that a thorough investigation revealed high levels of chlorine in a water tank of up to 2.2 milligrammes per litre, which is not suitable for human consumption.

This was after the investigation team found that some affected learners avoided the suspected food.

"The water in these tanks also showed some visible discolouration, indicating contamination. In the absence of any formal communication to the school to stop the usage of water from the contaminated water storage tanks, the learners regrettably continued to consume the water, thus exacerbating the situation."

Steenkamp said efforts are underway to improve sanitary conditions as well as to replace the contaminated water tank.

"The focus is on the short-term and ongoing repair and maintenance of the coolroom storage. The procurement is already underway. The second one is the water tank: urgent replacement of the hostel's contaminated water tank with two 10,000-litre elevated tanks. Waste management guidelines are to be reinforced, and the hostel menu and reinforcement of adherence to the menu with substitution are only permitted upon written approval. Hostel guidelines require adherence to a full protective uniform and annual medical testing for all food handlers."

A Food Safety and Response Plan will also be developed as a long-term solution at every hostel, as well as a regional maintenance plan with a specific focus on hostel infrastructure.