Gauteng MEC for education Matome Chiloane visited Queens High School in Johannesburg on Monday following the death of a grade 9 learner last week.
Brian Ndlovu passed away on July 31 at the Hillbrow Clinic after he was allegedly given poison to drink by another learner.
The incident is said to have taken place at the school’s toilets and it is suspected that bullying might have been a contributing factor.
Preliminary reports show that there were no reports of bullying involving the deceased, and the school’s security cameras found no evidence of the alleged incident.
The learner left school in good health, and there were no prior reports of bullying by the parents or school counsellors.
“A preliminary report informs that the deceased was involved in an altercation with a grade 8 learner earlier on 31 July 2023, which resulted in the deceased being physical towards the grade 8 learner,” said the department.
“As such, both their [the learners’] parents were invited to report at school on Tuesday, 1 August 2023, for necessary disciplinary proceedings.”
Unfortunately, the parents of the deceased could not attend the disciplinary proceedings as a result of the boy’s death.
According to Ndlovu’s family, he complained about stomach pains in the evening and was rushed to a medical facility, where he was later certified dead.
Chilaone said the department cannot underestimate the negative impact of bullying in schools, acknowledging that it is experienced in schools across the province.
“We have launched a school safety campaign, ‘Operation Kgutla Molao’, which will assist us to attend to potential bullies and take them for disciplinary intervention,” said Chiloane.
The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Ndlovu’s death.
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