The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has defended the service provider that provided the meal at Thursday’s council meeting which resulted in multiple councillors suffering bad cases of diarrhoea.
The office of speaker Eugene Johnson is accountable for operational requirements at council, including catering services.
Her office’s director, Dumisani Mbebe, said in a statement the caterer, Mangconde Services, was a trusted service provider that usually served good food at council.
He said the office took full responsibility for the councillors having fallen ill.
“Our health inspectors within public health have done due diligence to check whether the place where the food is prepared and dished up is sanitary,” Mbebe said.
Several councillors were left ill on Thursday after eating the food served during a lunchtime break.
Councillors, officials and the media were served mutton, fried chicken, creamed spinach and pumpkin.
They were also offered a choice of rice or samp.
Apologising to all those who fell ill, the owner of Mangconde Services, who asked not want to be named, said her catering company had never had a problem before with people falling ill from their food.
“Lunch at council is usually at midday, therefore I start cooking from 4am,” she said.
“That day I arrived at 11am and council was still in session.
“I started dishing up the food because I thought we only had an hour.
“But council only took a break at 3.40pm and by that time I had put all the meals in the warmer, so I really don’t know what happened.”
UDM councillor Luxolo Namette wrote to Johnson on Thursday, raising concerns about the culinary catastrophe.
“The consequences of this negligence have been severe, resulting in a wave of illness among several council members.
“The food served to us was not just sub-par.
“It is evident that it did not meet any acceptable standard, and the ingredients used were not up to the required standards,” he wrote.
Mbebe responded that it had not been anticipated that council would break much later than usual for lunch, and that consequence management would be applied.
“It is just unfortunate that the service provider who prepared the food in good time was not informed of the late start of the meeting.
“I’m told the same food that was served in the council was also served at the Mandela Bay Development Agency and there were no reports of food poisoning because [their] lunch time was at 1pm.”
He said the matter would be investigated further.
HeraldLIVE
City takes accountability for council food fiasco
Image: WERNER HILLS
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has defended the service provider that provided the meal at Thursday’s council meeting which resulted in multiple councillors suffering bad cases of diarrhoea.
The office of speaker Eugene Johnson is accountable for operational requirements at council, including catering services.
Her office’s director, Dumisani Mbebe, said in a statement the caterer, Mangconde Services, was a trusted service provider that usually served good food at council.
He said the office took full responsibility for the councillors having fallen ill.
“Our health inspectors within public health have done due diligence to check whether the place where the food is prepared and dished up is sanitary,” Mbebe said.
Several councillors were left ill on Thursday after eating the food served during a lunchtime break.
Councillors, officials and the media were served mutton, fried chicken, creamed spinach and pumpkin.
They were also offered a choice of rice or samp.
Apologising to all those who fell ill, the owner of Mangconde Services, who asked not want to be named, said her catering company had never had a problem before with people falling ill from their food.
“Lunch at council is usually at midday, therefore I start cooking from 4am,” she said.
“That day I arrived at 11am and council was still in session.
“I started dishing up the food because I thought we only had an hour.
“But council only took a break at 3.40pm and by that time I had put all the meals in the warmer, so I really don’t know what happened.”
UDM councillor Luxolo Namette wrote to Johnson on Thursday, raising concerns about the culinary catastrophe.
“The consequences of this negligence have been severe, resulting in a wave of illness among several council members.
“The food served to us was not just sub-par.
“It is evident that it did not meet any acceptable standard, and the ingredients used were not up to the required standards,” he wrote.
Mbebe responded that it had not been anticipated that council would break much later than usual for lunch, and that consequence management would be applied.
“It is just unfortunate that the service provider who prepared the food in good time was not informed of the late start of the meeting.
“I’m told the same food that was served in the council was also served at the Mandela Bay Development Agency and there were no reports of food poisoning because [their] lunch time was at 1pm.”
He said the matter would be investigated further.
HeraldLIVE
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