Pupil dies after falling from high school balcony in Randburg

A pupil died after falling from a balcony at Ferndale High School in Randburg on Tuesday.

Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the 16-year-old boy may have had a seizure related to epilepsy. He was a grade 10 pupil at the school.

“Unfortunately the boy fell ... to the ground floor. Emergency services were called and the boy was attended to on the scene and later taken to a local hospital. Unfortunately he did not make it,” said Mabona.

The boy seemingly fell from the third floor.

Mabona said the department's psycho-social team had been sent to the school to offer counselling. "They have been at the school since the incident," Mabona said.

Netcare 911 said at 9.34am paramedics responded to reports about a fall at the school.

The incident brings to 11 the number of pupils who have died in Gauteng since the start of 2020.

Two deaths happened on Saturday. The department said a 17-year-old female matric pupil from Oosrand Secondary School was allegedly assaulted by passengers in a taxi. She  jumped from the moving vehicle in Germiston, and died on the scene.

Also on Saturday, an eight-year-old female pupil from Durban Deep Primary died after being swept away by flash floods at Princess informal settlement in Roodepoort.