"[On July 31] the only incident that took place in the school that the school was able to record was an incident where the deceased had a scuffle with a grade 8 pupil. The incident was seen where Ndlovu slapped the grade 8 [pupil],” said Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane.
He was addressing media after meeting with the school principal.
“A teacher at the school witnessed the incident [and] was able to take both pupils to meet the deputy principals so they can handle the issue. The school called both [pupils'] parents. I believe it was the father who picked up,” Chiloane said.
Only one pupil's parents came to school the next day. Ndlovu's parents did not due to his death the night before. He died at the Hillbrow Clinic.
Chiloane confirmed the school had 96 functional CCTV cameras, which were used to provide footage of what happened.
“They were able to trace Ndlovu's movements as much as possible to see what could've happened because the allegation is the deceased was given poison by matriculants,” Chiloane said.
There are incidents where they saw Ndlovu laughing with his friends.
“He also attended the last lessons of the day ... and he was given a lift home by one of the school governing body-employed teachers because they live in the same area,” Chiloane said, suggesting Ndlovu appeared fine when he left the premises.
He confirmed a police investigation was also under way given suspicions around his death, adding the department and school were co-operating “fully from day one” with the probe.
LISTEN | Queens High School details last moments at school of grade 9 pupil who died after alleged bullying
The Gauteng education department on Monday said a police investigation would provide clarity on the circumstances around the death of Queens High School pupil Brian Ndlovu last Monday.
According to his family, the 15-year-old grade 9 pupil allegedly died hours after being forced to consume a poisonous substance at school. They alleged he was a victim of bullying.
The school, however, shared a different version of events on the day.
"[On July 31] the only incident that took place in the school that the school was able to record was an incident where the deceased had a scuffle with a grade 8 pupil. The incident was seen where Ndlovu slapped the grade 8 [pupil],” said Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane.
He was addressing media after meeting with the school principal.
“A teacher at the school witnessed the incident [and] was able to take both pupils to meet the deputy principals so they can handle the issue. The school called both [pupils'] parents. I believe it was the father who picked up,” Chiloane said.
Only one pupil's parents came to school the next day. Ndlovu's parents did not due to his death the night before. He died at the Hillbrow Clinic.
Chiloane confirmed the school had 96 functional CCTV cameras, which were used to provide footage of what happened.
“They were able to trace Ndlovu's movements as much as possible to see what could've happened because the allegation is the deceased was given poison by matriculants,” Chiloane said.
There are incidents where they saw Ndlovu laughing with his friends.
“He also attended the last lessons of the day ... and he was given a lift home by one of the school governing body-employed teachers because they live in the same area,” Chiloane said, suggesting Ndlovu appeared fine when he left the premises.
He confirmed a police investigation was also under way given suspicions around his death, adding the department and school were co-operating “fully from day one” with the probe.
The MEC said they are awaiting the outcomes of a postmortem.
School principal Johan Lourens also spoke, clarifying no reports emerged of Ndlovu being unwell on the day of his death. He confirmed Ndlovu was jovial and cracked a joke just hours before he died.
Pupils were distraught about Ndlovu's passing and were receiving support from the school's in-house counselling.
“We lost a member of our family,” he said.
Lourens denied allegations the school had a poor handling record on bullying reports and said they dealt with all cases brought to their attention.
He confirmed a memorial would take place at a time “convenient for the school and family”.
The department was to meet Ndlovu's family afterwards, but this was called off after a miscommunication between them and the school.
Speaking to Kaya FM last week, Ndlovu's mother claimed the teenager came home last week and took a nap. He went to visit a neighbour, who he allegedly confided in about the poisoning.
It was alleged he told her of the poisoning as he pleaded to be given milk to drink.
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