The Gauteng Department of Health has announced contingency plans following the temporary closure of the Masakhane Cook Freeze Factory after reports surfaced that patients at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) were going hungry.
The factory, which supplies meals to major facilities across the province, was shut down after failing food safety standards.
The Democratic Alliance’s Gauteng Shadow Health MEC raised the alarm last week, saying his oversight visit to CMJH on November 19 confirmed that patients were not receiving plated lunch meals from Masakhane.
“The hospital kitchen can provide breakfast and supper, but they are not getting plated food for lunch from the Masakhane Cook Freeze Factory in Tshwane as city inspectors ordered it closed after tests showed E. Coli bacteria in their food,” he said.
According to Bloom, patients were only given a slice of bread with margarine and cheese for lunch, instead of their usual full meal of meat, vegetables, and starch. He said a nurse confirmed that relatives had started bringing food from home after lunch shortages began last week.
The factory, based in Tshwane, previously served 8,000 meals daily to six hospitals and 17 community health centres, including Jubilee, Odi, Tshwane District, Bronkhorstspruit, and Lenasia District hospitals.
He criticised the department, saying it was “shameful that a provincial food facility is closed because of contaminated food,” blaming poor management and a failure to invest in new machinery.
The Gauteng Department of Health, however, has dismissed suggestions that patients are starving.
“Such reports are not only misleading the public but also cause unnecessary panic to the families of patients receiving care,” the department said, adding that all hospitals continue to provide three meals a day.
The department confirmed that the closure followed a City of Tshwane inspection, which detected E. coli contamination in the water supply to the factory.
MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said meal production was halted immediately as a precautionary measure and that no illnesses had been reported.
“I want to reassure the people of Gauteng that our hospitals have activated contingency plans to ensure that patients continue to receive their daily meals, including alternative nutritional options prepared by hospital food service teams,” she said.
She noted that there is no timeline yet for the reopening of the factory, which is undergoing deep cleaning and installing a new water purification plant. Staff are also receiving food safety training to prevent future incidents.
This is not the first time the department has faced public criticism. Recent viral social media posts alleged unhygienic kitchens and expired food at Sebokeng Regional Hospital.
The department denied the claims, saying routine condemnation procedures were misrepresented online. It added that the hospital main kitchen, currently 80% renovated, is still operating under strict safety compliance from a temporary facility.
After a staff member was allegedly shocked by exposed wiring in the temporary kitchen, the department arranged debriefing sessions and launched an investigation.
“As a precaution, staff were removed from the makeshift kitchen, and Masakhane had been contracted to supply lunch and supper until its recent closure,” it said.
The Star