Grade R pupil hospitalised after being thrown in fire on school premises

A six-year-old pupil, Melokuhle Dlungele, was allegedly hurled into a blazing fire by a fellow pupil during school hours and then left to suffer in agony until the end of the school day.

The shocking event unfolded on Wednesday, August 6, at Wilder Junior Primary in Qoloqolo, Mthwalume, south of KwaZulu-Natal.

Thami Dlungele, Melokuhle’s aunt, told Sunday World that the little boy’s injuries are so severe that they have stripped flesh from his tiny hands.

An anonymous witness asserts that children playing nearby ignited the fire on the school grounds.

Gross negligence

Without warning, another child allegedly picked up Melokuhle and tossed him into the flames.

He reportedly remained trapped in the inferno for horrifying seconds before pulling himself out.

But the horror did not end there. Instead of rushing him to the nearby clinic, teachers allegedly kept him at school because his mother did not answer her phone at work.

“When he got home later that afternoon, his clothes had melted into his burnt skin. He was crying in pain. We rushed him to the Khayelihle Clinic, then to the local Turton hospital, but the damage was too much; he was transferred to JG Crookes Hospital.

“We’re uncertain about the extent of the damage, but we’ve received reports of potential nerve damage. On Wednesday, he will be moved to Albert Hospital for specialist care,” said Dlungele.

Dlungele is furious at what she calls gross negligence by the school.

Family weighing options

“This is a primary school, and we expected the child to be safe. We want to know why there was no adult attending to the fire.

“We want to understand why the kids were playing nearby and, most importantly, why he wasn’t rushed to the hospital immediately. We want justice,” she said.

She said the family has not reported the matter to the police. “We haven’t opened any case; in fact, we’re still weighing our options,” she said.

Muzi Mahlambi, the spokesperson for the education department in KwaZulu-Natal, confirmed the incident.

“We are aware of this matter, and the district is attending to it,” said Mahlambi.

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