Hennops excursion where two pupils drowned was not sanctioned: Chiloane

No-one from the Gauteng education department or district knew about the excursion where two pupils from Daveyton Skills School drowned on Monday afternoon.

The two pupils were attending a discipline camp held by the NGO Rising Stars Generation near Centurion when they drowned in the Hennops River.

This is the third such drowning incident involving school pupils since the beginning of the year.

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane confirmed the trip was not sanctioned and that only one social worker was responsible for pupils during the trip.

Further, he said no teacher accompanied the pupils on the excursion.

“That we didn't sanction puts me in a difficult position. I didn't know they did all of this, no-one knew in the higher office,” Chiloane said during a visit to the school in Benoni on Wednesday.

Chiloane said an independent law firm would be appointed to investigate the drownings and available preliminary information will allow them to take immediate action.

He warned schools to be conscious of potential dangers when planning trips.

“We can't work on a disclaimer that you have made the parents sign, that should anything happen to the child the school is not responsible. We can no longer do that. It is not right. It means you are conscious of the danger and you want to protect the school's interests. That is not being fair and goes against the set values of batho pele [people first],” he said.

Earlier this week the department said the drownings happened after activities had been concluded. One pupil apparently ran towards the river close to the campsite entrance. He jumped into the river, prompting the second pupil to jump in to try to rescue him.

Both pupils drowned.

Chiloane is expected to visit the families of the two boys on Wednesday. 

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