NATIONAL NEWS - The family of a 12-year-old learner from a school in Winterveldt near Pretoria are desperately searching for more details around the death of their child.
This after Mandla Chauke, a learner at Refalotse Primary School, died during a school trip on Friday, 2 December.
A family spokesperson, John Chauke, addressed the media on Tuesday following a visit to the family by Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane.
Chauke said the family want the education department to hire the correct people to investigate the cause of Mandla’s death.
We don’t have any details as we weren’t there,” he said.
“It’s painful to see a child leave home well in the morning and come back in a coffin without knowing what happened. Those who were there must explain what happened.”
Chauke described Mandla as ‘a smart child who loved school and watching cartoons’.
“We were hoping to see him grow up and become someone important who could change the situation of the family,” he said.
The family has said they would not point fingers and put blame on the school.
“We can’t blame the school. We are waiting for a post-mortem,” he said.
Chiloane has promised to appoint an independent investigative law firm to probe the circumstances surrounding Mandla’s death.
“As the department, we have decided to facilitate a process to appoint an independent law firm to conduct a thorough investigation to establish what transpired.
“This independent investigation will run parallel to the police’s ongoing investigation,” he said.
