Two Learners from Daveyton Drown on a School Excursion

Bodies of the two learners who drowned in the Hennops River in Centurion on Monday afternoon were recovered by SAPS Divers (Picture Courtesy: Jenna Verster)

Nomfundo Ngobese

(The Post News) – On the afternoon of Monday 15 April 2024, the Hennops River in Centurion, Pretoria, claimed the lives of two learners from Daveyton, Benoni.

According to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), the learners were on a school excursion, a camp hosted by a non-governmental organization called the Raising Stars Generation in Pretoria.

Around 3:14 PM, someone called the Tshwane Emergency Services Department to report a drowning. According to the department’s statement, when the emergency responders got there, they discovered that two boys, aged 13 and 16, had drowned. It’s said they were taking part in a water activity as part of a school trip. Tragically, both boys were pronounced dead at the scene.

“The bodies were recovered by the South African Police Services Divers and declared dead by paramedics on-site, said Charles Mabaso the spokesperson of the Tshwane Emergency Services.

According to reports, the incident in question took place after the day’s activities had ended. It is believed that one of the learners ran towards the river and jumped in, prompting the second learner to follow in an attempt to rescue him. Tragically, both learners drowned as a result. Steve Mabona, the spokesperson for the GDE, stated that the incident occurred in this way.

Daveyton Skills School is an educational institution that caters to students with special needs. Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Steve Mabona has confirmed that during a recent school camp, the only officials present were facilitators and a social worker. According to Mabona, educators were not present at the camp since it was understood that parents and teachers were not supposed to attend.

He further mentioned that the students at the school deal with mental challenges, which is why he feels that increased supervision is necessary. The South African Police Services (SAPS) have initiated an investigation to comprehensively grasp the circumstances surrounding the incident.

This incident follows closely after another tragic drowning in Gauteng earlier in January 2024. Latoya Hamilton, a 12-year-old Grade 7 learner from Learskool Queenswood, drowned during a leadership camp at the Wag ‘n Bietjie Resort in Witkoppen.

After an investigation into Latoya’s drowning incident, the law firm appointed to oversee the case advised her family to hold the school’s principal and teachers accountable. The findings highlighted several disturbing lapses in safety measures and supervision. These lapses included an unsafe pool environment, a lack of proper supervision, and the absence of life jackets for students. These shortcomings demonstrate a failure in the duty of care that the school owed Latoya while she was under their supervision.