Leanne Raymond reports that a food poisoning scare has hit three residences of the University of Cape Town with more than 40 students who share a dining hall falling ill with vomiting and diarrhoea.
A concerned parent, who preferred not to be named, told the Cape Times students became ill on Tuesday night and then again on Wednesday night. One student was taken to hospital.
Ludwe Mbhele, head of the house committee at the University House Residence, said: “Students started getting sick (on Tuesday) from the University House Dining Hall. The catering company has sent a sample to their lab in Johannesburg for testing. They are not sure where it is coming from, the food or the cutlery. It started on Tuesday and the numbers (of ill students) just increased.”

The manager of the dining hall could not be reached and the supervisor on duty said that the test results were due yesterday, but would say nothing more.
One Varietas student said the numbers of students at her residence had dwindled as a result of the outbreak.
UCT spokeswoman Andrea Weiss said an incident of possible food contamination was being investigated as several students in the three residences had fallen ill, with vomiting and diarrhoea, after the Tuesday evening meal.
Weiss said the wardens of the residences affected had also used the Student Health Services and had reported that the outbreak appeared to be tapering off.