Staff Reporter
A FOOD poisoning incident that affected a total of 40 learners from Katjinakatji Senior Secondary School in the Kavango West Region has been attributed to bread that may have gone bad, which was consumed by learners on Sunday, 25 January 2026.
About 40 learners were taken to Rundu State Hospital on Monday, 26 January 2025, after reporting symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting and general body malaise.
Giving an update on the matter, Senior Public Relations Officer from the Kavango West Regional Council, Matheus Hamutenya, explained that all the affected learners had been discharged from hospital and no fatalities were recorded.
“Health officials have indicated that no poison or toxic substances were found in any of the results from tests conducted on the hospitalised learners. Indications are that the symptoms experienced by learners are consistent with a general stomach upset rather than poisoning. This is suspected to have been caused by the bread that may have gone bad, which was consumed by the learners that weekend. The directorate is working tirelessly to ensure that conditions at the school improve as soon as possible,” Hamutenya said.
He added that a team from the Kavango West Regional Council visited the school on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, headed by the Chief Regional Officer, to obtain first-hand information and collaborate with the school management and parents on how best to prevent such cases in the future.
“Some of the immediate actions identified include the installation of cooler units within a short period to ensure that food items are stored properly. In the meantime, the directorate is engaging the contractor to ensure that the supply of bread to the school is managed so that it is consumed within two days only. This will mean that no bread is spoiled due to being stored for too long, and thus there is no risk of learners consuming contaminated food,” Hamutenya said.
RECOVERED: Learners from Katjinakatji Senior Secondary. Photo: File.
