Family of Brakpan pupil allege

Family of Brakpan pupil allegedly beaten to death demands answers

Nhlanhla Tshabalala, a Grade 10 pupil from Ekurhuleni, died after allegedly being beaten with a golf stick by a teacher and general assistant

Family of Brakpan pupil allege

The family of a slain school learner has pleaded with the Gauteng Department of Education to bring those responsible for his death to book and leave no stone unturned in their probe of the incident.

Nhlanhla Tshabalala, a Grade 10 pupil who attended Reshogofaditswe Secondary School in Ekurhuleni, died after allegedly being assaulted. Tshabalala had apparently gone to nearby Tsakane Secondary School to collect his school bag and cell phone which had been confiscated by guards the previous day when he went to see his girlfriend.

He had brought a toy gun, which was meant to scare staff into returning his belongings. A scuffle then ensued between himself, a teacher and a general assistant when they tried to retrieve the gun.

“Subsequently, he was removed from the school premises by police and taken home after being involved in a scuffle with an educator and a General Assistant at the school. Accordingly, his family later drove him to Pholosong Hospital where he was certified dead,” said Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Steve Mabona.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Cape Town high school pupils fight over ‘packet of chips’

INDEPENDENT PROBE INTO BRAKPAN PUPILS DEATH

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi visited Tsakane Secondary School on Monday, 14 March 2022, where Nhlanhla Tshabalala was allegedly assaulted, and announced that an independent investigation would get underway to determine what really happened between the pair.

“In the absence of evidence, suspending the two officials involved in the scuffle would have implications. Therefore, the preliminary report from the independent firm will determine what action should be taken”

Tshabalala’s father says the school has still not provided them with answers as to what transpired prior to Nhlanhla’s death.

“What happened to us is painful. My son died [allegedly] at the hands of adults who were expected to look after him. What is more hurtful to us as the family is that we don’t get satisfactory answers since the incident,” he said.

“His mother told me that she was informed that our son was carrying a toy gun. Where did they get so much strength to beat my son like that? How does the school security guard carry a golf stick and a machete?”