Basic Education Minister Gwarube to review school feeding programme in a bid to tackle challenges
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has announced plans to review the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) to ensure it is managed efficiently and provides quality food to pupils.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube informed the members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) recently that her department intends to review how the programme is managed going forward amid concerns about dysfunctionality.
The minister’s revelations have been welcomed by suppliers in KwaZulu-Natal, who stated that there are serious challenges in the programme, especially regarding the selection of suppliers.
The minister said, “We are reviewing the models used by provinces to implement the National School Nutrition Programme to improve efficiency, financial management, and accountability in how this programme is implemented.
“Through better project management and grant monitoring, we aim to ensure that every allocation strengthens teaching and learning outcomes,” the minister said.
The department said in a statement that the School Nutrition Programme is funded at R10 billion, feeding over 9 million pupils every day.
It was not immediately clear what specific changes the minister seeks to implement in the programme.
The previous administrations had discussed possibly centralising the tender process, with one main supplier being responsible for food delivery. This approach was attempted in KZN but resulted in disastrous consequences, where the supplier failed to deliver meals, leading to children not being fed.
The programme faced other challenges in the province. This year, suppliers have expressed concerns about non-payment for services, stating that the rates paid do not adequately cover the food they are required to deliver to schools
Expanding on the possible changes in the programme, ministry spokesperson Lukhanyo Vangqa stated that the minister has asked the department to examine the distribution models used in the provinces.
The aim is to identify areas where greater efficiencies can be achieved through economies of scale, to remove hyper-centralisation, close gaps that lead to corruption, and improve the quality of food delivered to learners.
“Numerous reports have highlighted challenges with the NSNP, including food that was not delivered on time to various schools, allegations of corruption in some provinces, and issues with the quality of food in certain areas. The minister is currently conducting a review, and it is only after she has received the data from that review that she can evaluate which models would work best in different contexts,” he said.
Thabang Mncwabe, a representative of the NSNP Service Providers Association in KZN said they noted the minister’s report on proposed improvements for the scheme.
But he said all role players, including the leaders of the industry who have been consistently calling for the transformation of the NSNP should be heard during the review process.
He added that they were concerned with the processes followed for the NSNP tender in KZN and called for provincial treasury to halt the appointments to be published on Friday pending due diligence.
Sakhile Mngadi, the DA spokesperson on Education, said they fully supported Gwarube’s commitment to reviewing the implementation models of the National School Nutrition Programme.
“In KwaZulu-Natal, the recent failures of the programme—marked by food shortages, irregular suppliers, and poor oversight—have exposed deep systemic weaknesses. Thousands of learners were left hungry due to financial mismanagement and lack of accountability.
“A full review is essential to ensure that provinces prioritise both value for money and nutritional quality. This programme is a lifeline for over 9 million children across South Africa. In KZN alone, it supports over 2 million learners daily.
“We cannot allow incompetence or corruption to undermine this critical intervention. Improved models must include stricter supplier vetting, real-time monitoring, and decentralised decision-making where appropriate. The goal must be to ensure that every child receives a meal—every day—without delay, waste, or abuse. We will support and monitor this process closely,” he concluded.