MBOMBELA – The last words from the 19-year-old learner who was allegedly beaten to death at Cefups Academy were, “Help me”.
This is the sad version as narrated by the health-care workers who treated the young learner, Paballo Seane at Mediclinic Nelspruit, just before she died.
“She told the nurses that she was beaten so badly with a sjambok at school, that she had passed out,” said our source at Mediclinic.
“She was so severely beaten that she even soiled her bed and you could see the trauma in her face.
“The tests we conducted showed that she suffered internal injuries and the sjambok may have damaged her kidneys. Her whole body was swollen,” continued the source.
Although it could not be confirmed at that stage whether the girl had indeed been beaten at school, one thing the nurses did agree upon was that she had suffered a brutal beating. They also said she had been brought to the hospital by a guardian who was supposed to stay on, but when she passed away, the guardian could not be located telephonically.
Department of Education spokesman, Mr Jasper Zwane said the department had urged the family to open a police case, which they had. He also stated that the HOD, Ms Mohlasedi Mhlabane, had immediately sent an investigative team to the school to determine exactly what had happened and to ensure the perpetrators were brought to book.
“The inquest should be tabled by August 8 and if there are implications and probabilities of the school’s involvement, the HOD could close it down.”
Mpumalanga News spoke to Seane’s parents who described her as a loving and caring child who was full of life.
“She was a dear child who loved school.” Asked why they took her to this school in the first place, the parents said,
“We saw the school online and noticed that it was the best in the province, so we decided to send her there in hope of a better education.
“We didn’t know of cases of beatings until now. We have, in the meantime, searched online and found other cases of assault at the school.”
Police spokesperson, Brig Selvy Mohlala, says post-mortem specimens had been sent for forensic tests.
“We will wait for the results to determine which case to open. An inquest has been opened in connection with the death of the learner,” he said.
When asked when police could expect the results, Mohlala said it usually took a long time, even up to a year.
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