The bereaved family of a 14-year-old learner is demanding justice amid allegations that a group of bullies forced him to drink rat poison.
JOHANNESBURG – The family of the late Brian Ndlovu is demanding justice amid allegations that a group of bullies forced him to drink poison.
Brian, 14, a learner at Queens High School in Roodepoort, died last week at Hillbrow Clinic after the alleged bullying incident, where perpetrators ambushed him in the school bathroom and forced him to drink rat poison.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane visited the school on Monday and said the police were investigating the matter.
Chiloane said they were awaiting the post-mortem report of what had happened to the learner.
Chiloane confirmed that Brian died on July 31 at Hillbrow Clinic.
The Gauteng police confirmed an inquest docket into the death of the Grade 9 learner had been opened.
Brian’s family alleges that a matric boy gave him poison in the school toilets, and they suspect bullying was a contributing factor.
“When I saw doctors taking samples of blood on his arm, he was on oxygen; they did CPR, but I could just tell that my son was not going to make it; it was goodbye from Brian,” sobbed the learner’s mother, Mildred Ndlovu.
The family said that when Brian returned from school last week, he appeared normal, however, he went next door and revealed to a neighbour called ‘Simba’ that he had a terrible day at school.
“He told Simba he had a horrible day at school to the extent that he was pushed against the wall in the bathroom and forced to drink poison. He used to tell me that he wanted to be the next Siya Kolisi (SA rugby captain). With Brian dead, all of that is shattered because of evil and undisciplined kids. All I am asking for is that you please put those kids where they belong. I think prison is the rightful place for them,” said Mildred.
The department said that, according to a preliminary report, there were no reports of bullying involving the deceased and the school security cameras had found no evidence of the alleged incident.
The learner left school in good health, and there were no reports of bullying by the parents or school counsellors.
The preliminary report revealed that the deceased was involved in an altercation with a Grade 8 learner earlier on July 31, which resulted in the deceased being physically abusive and both learners’ parents were invited to report to school on August 1 for necessary disciplinary proceedings.
According to his family, the learner complained of a stomach ache in the evening and was rushed to a local medical facility. He was certified dead at the facility.
“I want closure; I know Brian is dead; I will never see him again. Brian was a very respectful and intelligent boy who loved sports. He even played rugby in school, before he used to play soccer. He was a perfectionist. I remember that every morning he was the first person to get up and woke us up. He used to say, mandala (father) it is time to go to work. He was always smiling,” said his father, Charles Ndlovu.
A memorial service will take place on Wednesday, followed by a private funeral.
Chiloane commanded the school’s co-operation with regards to the investigation surrounding the death of Brian.
“The school co-operated from day one; they have given full access to the footage and the principal has given a statement on behalf of the school. The district has been here since the first day. The police are investigating,” he said.
Chiloane reiterated his concerns about bullying in schools and called on parents to play a role in addressing the behavioural issues of their children.
He said bullying was a problem for teenagers in all schools; the important part was how you handle it as a school.
“Indeed, we cannot underestimate the negative impact of bullying at our schools, and we acknowledge that it is experienced across our schools. As such, we have launched a school safety campaign called ‘Operation Kgutla Molao’, which will assist us in attending to potential bullies and taking them for necessary disciplinary intervention for the better. We need to assist them,” said Chiloane.
