WATCH: Parktown Boys should not ‘keep us in darkness’ – parent

Communication from Parktown Boys High School surrounding the tragic death of 13-year-old Enoch Mpianzi at an orientation camp in the North West last week should have been better, a parent of the a child in Grade 8 at the school told EWN.

“I think they should have handled it more appropriately in the sense that because we understood from the very first day this incident happened, they did not inform us as a parent, even the parent of the child was not informed. He was only told the following day,” he said.

“Their mode of communication should be more specific and straightforward rather than keeping us in darkness. In future they must try to be explicit, tell us exactly what is happening so we can have confidence in the school,” he added.

Another father from the school, however, thinks a discussion about what the school could have done differently should come only after all the details are known.

“We don’t know the whole facts and we’re meeting with them today at 6 o’clock so we can’t really say they could have done this or they could have done that,” he said.

A mother of another learner at the school expressed the view that this was an unfortunate accident, rather than necessarily a case of negligence.

“We are trying to ask ourselves questions to say what could have gone wrong; we have more questions than answers, but I think with time the truth will be revealed. But it is unfortunate, something like this can happen to anybody at any time; there could have been things which could have been done better but you never know when the evil day is coming,” she said.

READ MORE: Parktown Boys sent children on ‘initiation camp’, not ‘orientation camp’ – EFF MP

She added that despite what happened, she thinks the orientation camps held by the school are good due to the “level of respect they instil in” learners.

“You cannot walk through this school and a child goes past without greeting,” she said.

Mpianzi was last seen on Wednesday when a makeshift raft he and other boys were on overturned on the Crocodile River during an exercise at an orientation camp held at the Nyati Bush and Riverbreak in North West.

The school issued a statement stating it only became aware that Mpianzi was missing the following morning.

“On Thursday morning, it was realised that a boy had gone missing from the camp. Emergency procedures have been instituted by camp management and are being assisted by members of the local community and the SAPS Emergency Services,” the statement read.

The school has said it cannot comment further on the issue as an investigation is ongoing.

Spokesperson for the Gauteng department of education Steve Mabona said he is waiting for the outcome of an inquiry before giving further comment.

“An independent inquiry will assist us, and as such we will wait for it to complete and announce on the way forward,” he said.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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