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- The National Association of School Governing Bodies has called for the ban of Prime Hydration drink in schools.
- This come after the organisation received complaints from schools that pupils display behavioural changes after consuming the product.
- The NASGB also called for the Department of Education to investigate the matter, but the department said the issue should be handled by schools and parents.
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The National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) has called for the ban of Prime Hydration in schools, urging the government to investigate whether the drink is responsible for behavioural changes in children.
On 1 May, the popular drink hit the shelves of South African retailer Checkers, selling a 500ml bottle for R39.99 - which initially sold for R400 and upwards per bottle elsewhere.
The popular energy drink, founded by YouTuber Logan Paul and rapper Olajide Olayinka Williams (KSI), is believed to cause behavioural changes in pupils.
"We got reports that after drinking [Prime Hydration], the children's behaviour changed," said Matakanye Matakanye, NASGB chairperson.
"School is a very sensitive environment. Any behaviour that changes will have an impact on the delivery of quality education."
Matakanye said the NASGB is worried pupils might "even hurt one another because we're [not familiar with] these types of behavioural issues".
As a result, the organisation urged the Department of Education to investigate whether the drink is the cause of negative behavioural changes in pupils.
Matakanye said:
"But for now, we are not fine. We want to know. The Department of Education has the responsibility to [investigate] quickly and tell us that there's nothing wrong with Prime," he added.
Parental intervention needed
Matakanye also called for parents to step in and ensure their children do not consume anything that may be harmful to their health.
"We also want to call on parents and say they must come to the party and make sure that they monitor this situation," he said.
In an eNCA interview last week, the Shoprite Group said that the drink sold at their Checkers stores contained no caffeine, compared to its "Prime Energy" counterpart, which contains 200mg of caffeine per 330ml and is only available to people over 18.
"We can't say that it is bad for kids, but it's definitely not the energy drink. The energy drink states 'Not for sale to children or people under the age of 18'.
"We chose not to bring in the energy drink... because we do not want to market things that could be seen a detrimental to children," the Shoprite Group said.
'SGBs must put their foot down'
Department of Education head of communications, Elijah Mhlanga said School Governing Bodies (SGB) lawfully have the power to determine what pupils are allowed to bring into schools.
"SGB must put their foot down and say whether they accept this or not. The power that they have now, they must use it and not shift it somewhere else. This matter is a school level issue, not a department matter."
He added that if an investigation is necessary then the Department of Trade and Industry should look into what is sold in the country.
He said:
"If this thing is easily accessible in a shopping centre, how would the Department of Education get involved in something like that?"
Mhlanga also said parents should be responsible for what children have access to.
"We saw parents proudly displaying images of this thing, which they would have bought for their children. This is a matter for households to decide what their children consume," Mhlanga said.
SGBs don't have resources to investigate
Matakanye agreed that the SGBs have power in the matter, but said they don't have the resources to investigate.
He said if the Department of Education won't get involved, then someone has to assure schools that Prime Hydration drink is not responsible for the strange behaviour in pupils.
"If they've got nothing to do with it then we call upon the South African Bureau of Standards since they approve what the public consumes.
"The Department of Health also has a part to play. We can't just [ignore] these complaints... because tomorrow we'll come back and ask where we've gone wrong. We really just want assurance that there's nothing wrong with this thing," said Matakanye.
In February, a UK school banned its pupils from bringing all Prime drinks, including Prime Hydration, onto the school's premises. The school said: "Although there are no health risks to children associated with drinking 'Prime Hydration', the drink does contain a high level of electrolytes. Electrolytes aren't recommended for children unless they are unwell or at risk of dehydration."
Several schools across Australia have also banned Prime Energy, the energy drink variant of Prime which is not recommended for people under 18.
