Another learner dies in a drowning incident

Another learner has died in a drowning incident in Magaliesburg in Gauteng. 13-year-old Keamohetswe Shaun Seboko was found dead in the school’s Hostel Swimming pool on Wednesday.

It is alleged that Keamohetswe Shaun Seboko a 13 Year-old Grade 7 boy learner was found dead in the said school’s Hostel Swimming pool, at about 16:00.

It is once again disappointing that, we only received information in the late afternoon, 17 January 2020.

— Gauteng Education (@EducationGP) January 17, 2020

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has sent condolences to the family.

A psycho-social team based at the school hostel assisted learners with counselling and will continue offering learners counselling on Monday next week.

Accordingly employees were also debriefed on Thursday, 16 January 2020.

The psycho social unit will continue with necessary counseling on Monday, 20 January 2020.

— Gauteng Education (@EducationGP) January 17, 2020

On Friday, the body Enock Mpianzi was found in the Crocodile River, near Brits in the North West, after he reportedly drowned during an orientation activity.

Mpianzi was a grade 8 learner at Parktown Boys High School.

UPDATE 2: #ParktownBoysCamp . I met with the family of the missing child on site and they granted us permission to release his photo. The rescue team has resumed their search. The boys will arrive back at school around 11am. All sporting activities are suspended. pic.twitter.com/DoRi1vxaFA

— Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) January 17, 2020

The boy’s body was recovered after a lengthy search involving the police and private citizens.

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‘Lack of  communication’

The Department of Education has expressed disappointment at the lack of immediate communication following the fatal drowning of learners.

The provincial department was only notified late Friday about Seboko’s death and learnt late on Thursday about Mpianzi’s disappearance.

Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga says thorough investigations must be conducted into both incidents.

“We are extremely shocked and saddened by these because we didn’t expect that we would start off in this way. I mean the families of those learners are grieving at the moment and we convey our condolences to them. it’s quite shocking that learners would still be drowning and when you listen to what is being said about the circumstances around it, it does indicate that some more investigation needs to be conducted to understand why a learner would drown. There were other people? There are rules. There has to be someone to take care of them, there has to be measures put in place to make sure that everyone is alive, all activities that they are undertaking are safe.”