Boy (5) dies in school’s toilet

Just a day after a five-year-old boy died after falling into a pit latrine at school, the department of education officially handed over the school’s building site on which a new sanitation block will be built.

But for little Michael Komape, who died on Tuesday, the handover and the building of a sanitation block yesterday (Wednesday) came too late.

Michael was a gr. R learner at Mahlodinela Primary School in Sengatane village just outside Seshego.

Limpopo police spokesperson, Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, said Michael left his classroom to go and relieve himself and was only found after being missing for three and a half hours.

He said it appeared that the boy stepped onto a rusted iron plate covering the pit latrine and fell into the pit where he died.

“The police have opened an inquest docket and the department of education is also investigating the matter,” he said.

Education spokesperson, Phuti Seloba, said the school was one of those on the department’s water and sanitation programme, which was launched by MEC Dikeledi Makadzi in November 2013.

He said the handover was scheduled earlier this year, and took place yesterday as planned.

“I would like to convey our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. We are, indeed, conducting investigations around this incident.

“However, it is not our intention to point fingers at anyone, but rather to learn from this incident,” Seloba said.

He said it was a harsh reality that pit latrines were still being used by most rural schools and communities in the province.

Michael’s father, James Komape, said there were no words to describe the pain the family was feeling.

“We can now only plead with the department to assist us with our son’s funeral as we do not have any money,” he said. He said the department was in close communication with the family.

Human rights organisation, Section 27, had been asking the department of basic education to attend to infrastructure in schools since 2011. “There are schools whose toilets have collapsed completely and that have seen no progress in the implementation of the sanitation plan. Some schools have teachers and earners that walk for kilometers on end to relieve themselves in the bushes and they are not even included in the sanitation plan,” Section 27 said.

Limpopo DA leader Jacques Smalle said this was the shocking reality faced by the most vulnerable learners during school time.

“I am heartbroken by this terrible incident. All of these matters must be investigated with a full inquiry.”