The Dept did not visit us 5 times says Komape family
The state claimed Social Development made at least five visits to the family for counselling, a point disputed by the family's counsel.
POLOKWANE – Testimony about the condition of school toilets in Limpopo and the Department of Social Development’s contact with the Komape family came under the spotlight in the second week of the trial relating to the death of Michael Komape (6).
You might want to read: Learners ‘hushed’ in pit toilet death
Michael drowned in a pit toilet at his school in 2014 and his parents, Rosina and James, are seeking damages from the Department of Education in the region of R3 million.
Before concluding their case early on Thursday, an engineer, David Still, testified for the family’s legal representative, Section 27, about the condition of toilets at schools in Limpopo, saying 44% of learners and 56% of principals described their schools’ toilets as ‘dangerous’.
You might want to read: Trial of Michael Komape to begin in the Polokwane High Court
Mark Haywood, Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Centre at Section 27, testified about the growing number of schools requiring urgent intervention due to a lack of safety and sanitation.
Reina Molapo, a social worker supervisor from the Department of Social Development, testified she made two visits to the Komape house in Chebeng village outside Polokwane in the days after Michael’s death.
The first, Molapo said, was a debriefing and the second for counselling. The state claimed Social Development made at least five visits to the family for counselling, a point disputed by the family’s counsel.
A social worker, Zanele Hlongwane, testified one of the visits claimed to have been made, happened at the school during a Mandela Day event when the school commemorated Michael’s life. She said she did not pre-arrange a meeting but asked to talk to Michael’s father in the principal’s office.
The family refused an offer by the Department of Social Development for a pauper’s burial for Michael, Molapo said.
Molapo described a pauper’s burial as ‘decent’.
The family’s council, Chris Maleka, pointed out the psychological assessment of four members of the family and said there was no evidence the Department of Social Development conducted any counselling.
Hlongwane testified she had made a number of visits to the Komape house for ‘psychosocial’ counselling, which she explained was a type of therapy aimed at helping clients solve their immediate problems.
Provincial Government Spokesperson, Phuti Seloba, who was spokesperson for the Department of Education at the time, on Facebook refuted the family’s claims that the department did not render assistance to them during the period.
Another witness for the state, Freddie Mabidi, a financial administrator for Education, said in 2011 the department had been under Section 100 administration and that all purchases had been frozen.
The case continued by the time of going to print.
