Charlotte Maxeke Hospital Patients Fed by Families As Hospital Food Supplier Shut Down
- The Democratic Alliance commented on a crisis that broke out at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg
- The hospital's supplier was shut down due to contamination, and as a result, patients had to organise their own meals
- The party's provincial Health spokesperson, Jack Bloom, highlighted problems the hospital has been facing in the food department
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JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG — The Democratic Alliance's (DA) Gauteng Health spokesperson, Jack Bloom, slammed the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital's leadership after the food facility that supplies it with food was shut down due to an E.coli contamination.
According to eNCA, Bloom said that the hospital was reportedly resuming giving patients food. This was after an E.coli contamination broke out at the facility, forcing it to shut down. Patients reportedly had to rely on family members to provide them with food during the shutdown.
Bloom slams the hospital
Bloom said that the Gauteng Health Department has had issues with its food supply for years. He said they get food from other provinces, including Limpopo and Free State, and said corruption is involved. He said the hospital should have sufficient food due to its size, and the matter should be looked into urgently.
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In a statement he released on 19 November 2025, Bloom said that he visited the hospital after receiving complaints about poor food. He said the Masakhane Cook Freeze Factory in Tshwane, which tested positive for E.coli, was closed down after inspectors found the bacteria in the food.
The Masakhane Cook Freeze Factory supplies 8,000 plates to 17 Community Health Centres and six hospitals in Gauteng. The shutdown affected facilities across the province.
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2 Briefly News stories about outbreaks
In February 2025, the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department said that foot-and-mouth disease had been confirmed at a school in Phoenix, Durban. The department said that the children from the school tested positive between 6 and 10 February. Those who were affected were in Grades 1, 2, and 3.
The department called for the best hygienic practices after it recorded 117 foot-and-mouth disease infections in the province. The department's communicable disease control director, Babongile Mhlongo, called on creches, primary schools, and homes to practice best hygienic practices to curb the outbreak.
John Steenhuisen discusses Foot-and-Mouth disease
In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, discussed foot-and-mouth disease and its impact on the South African economy. He spoke at the Food and Mouth Disease Indaba which took place in Roodeplaat, Tshwa ne on 21 July 1015.
Steenhuisen admitted that the government could not fight the battle against the disease on its own. He called for the livestock industry and vaccine procurement to form a partnership as exports of cloven-hoofed animals and their products were suspended, and jobs were lost.
Source: Briefly News
