Learners from Witkop Primary School who were hospitalised after falling ill following the consumption of fish cakes at the GoodHope Hostel have recovered and returned to school.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) confirmed that 101 learners were clinically assessed at St Mary's District Hospital in Rehoboth after developing gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, following the incident on 9 July 2026.
According to the ministry, 80 learners presented at the hospital, with 13 requiring admissions due to dehydration. A further 21 learners were brought to the facility on Friday evening, of whom six required admissions.
The ministry said most learners responded well to treatment and were discharged, while those admitted remained stable and continued to show improvement.
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Preliminary laboratory results indicated the presence of Salmonella bacteria, while investigations into the cause of the illness are ongoing. The ministry said preliminary findings suggested that fish cakes served to learners, which was reportedly not refrigerated for an extended period during preparation, may have contributed to the incident. A message shared in the GoodHope Hostel Witkop Primary School WhatsApp group informed parents that learners had fallen ill after eating fish cakes and that medical assistance had been arranged.
The message further stated that learners who felt sick were given hydration medication and that an ambulance from Rehoboth had been called to assist. It further indicated that additional learners requiring medical attention would also be transported to hospital. Parents of affected learners, who requested anonymity due to fears that their children could be victimised, raised concerns about conditions at the privately run hostel, including food arrangements and general standards.
The parents called for engagement between parents, hostel management and school authorities to address the concerns raised. The concerns raised by the parents could not be independently verified by New Era. The incident also brought attention to a donation of fish cakes made to institutions in the Rehoboth area.
The Rehoboth Community Trust confirmed that it donated approximately 15 000 fish cakes to around 25 primary schools, old age homes and soup kitchens in Rehoboth as part of its annual feeding support programme.
The trust said 153 frozen fish cakes intended for Witkop were handed over to the VGK Church in Rehoboth on 9 June after the church requested the donation as an associated entity of the Witkop School/Hostel. In a written response to New Era, the trust said it had not been officially informed of the circumstances surrounding the incident and did not have records of the handling or distribution of the fish cakes after they were handed over.
It added that no complaints had been received from other organisations that received fish cakes during the programme and that it would cooperate with any investigation where appropriate.
Hardap education director Paulus Lewin said his office received the report from the Ministry of Health and Social Services and contacted the pastor of the United Reformed Church, which owns the private hostel, to discuss interventions to address shortcomings identified in the report. "My office contacted already the pastor of the United Reformed Church, who is the owner of the private hostel and will meet with him in order to work out a strategy as to the implementation of interventions to address the shortcomings in the report," Lewin said. He said the church supported the learners during their hospitalisation and informed parents accordingly.
"All learners managed to recover successfully and are now back at school," Lewin said. Lewin added that the school did not close following the incident, as the matter was isolated to affected learners.
"The school did not close for any of the other learners who were not affected. The school management will, however, implement programmes to assist learners for the lost teaching and learning time," he said. He said further developments would be communicated once the report had been interrogated and shared with authorities at the ministry's head office and the church.
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Lewin said the incident highlighted the need to review the management and monitoring of private and community hostels. "Lessons learnt: The issue of community hostels and private hostels should be re-looked and stringent measures should be put in place to monitor compliance with current legislation governing community and private hostels," he said.
The MoHSS said it worked together with the Ministry of Education, school management and other stakeholders during the response.
The ministry further indicated that food handling and storage practices would be reviewed with relevant stakeholders to prevent similar incidents in future.
