Two boys and a girl lose their lives in Hoërskool Driehoek tragedy

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi revealed on Friday that two boys and a girl died when a structure collapsed at their high school in the Vaal.

“It’s indeed a sad day for us...,” said Lesufi, who rushed to Hoërskool Driehoek in Vanderbijlpark when the first alert came in at 8.10am.

“A pathway connecting the admin block and classes collapsed,” he said.

“We can officially confirm that 26 learners were affected... Three were deceased, two were males and one female... So far we’ve managed to identify one learner...”

Lesufi told the news conference at the school: “It was heartbreaking to see our learners crying...”

The school has been shut until further notice.

The MEC thanked parents and community members at  Hoërskool Driehoek for their swift intervention and assistance to pupils.

Lesufi said the injured learners were transported to various medical facilities.

He called for medical assistance to be given to all pupils, regardless of whether they had medical aid or not.

Hoërskool Driehoek is 45 years old and has 1,060 pupils.