Power outage blamed for Rundu Hostel food poisoning

The Kavango East Education Directorate has linked the recent illness of hundreds of learners at Rundu Secondary School hostel to a lack of formal communication between NORED and the ministry regarding a power outage, which may have compromised food storage systems.

The latest incident occurred after 283 hostel learners reported severe diarrhoea following dinner, with 15 requiring treatment at Rundu Intermediate Hospital.

Authorities believe a weekend town-wide electricity outage may have affected the refrigeration and storage of food supplies at the school.

According to hostel superintendent Samuel Marungu, he was notified the following Monday morning by learner representatives that some hostel learners had reported severe diarrhoea overnight.

“After hearing this, we urgently assessed the learners. Out of the 283 learners complaining of diarrhoea, 15 had severe symptoms, and we sent them to Rundu Intermediate Hospital immediately,” Marungu said.

Marungu added that a team of health officials was promptly sent to the school to attend to the remaining learners. He further noted that Sunday’s power outage in the town could have compromised the school’s food storage.

Following the incident, Kavango East Education Director Christine Shilima said the school did not receive official notification from NORED regarding the outage.

“We did not receive formal communication. Notices on social media are not reliable for planning. We need official written communication informing us in advance of any power outage,” Shilima said.

Formally engage

She explained that, had proper notice been given, the ministry could have made alternative arrangements with food suppliers to limit deliveries or adjust storage plans to prevent spoilage.

“I could have informed the supplier to deliver only a certain quantity for that specific meal. But without that communication, I could not make proper storage arrangements for our learners’ food,” she said.

Shilima stressed that the ministry will formally engage the NORED Chief Executive Officer to strengthen communication procedures.

“We are going to communicate formally with the CEO of NORED. They should send written notices, not rely on social media. Even if it is only a few hours of outage, the responsible person on standby should call to inform us so that we can make arrangements,” she said.

She added that improved coordination and formal communication between electricity providers and schools is essential to prevent similar incidents in the future and to safeguard learners’ health.

This event comes less than a month after a similar case at Katjinakatji Combined School in Kavango West, where investigations revealed poor food handling and unsafe storage practices that led to illness among 100 learners, with 40 admitted to hospital.

The recurring incidents highlight systemic risks in hostel meal management, particularly when electricity supply is unreliable.

Efforts to obtain comment from NORED spokesperson Simon Lukas proved unsuccessful, as he was unavailable by the time of going to print.