Two learners from the Daveyton Skills School in Benoni died after they drowned during an excursion in the Hennops River in Centurion on Monday.
According to a statement from the MEC for education in Gauteng, Matome Chiloane, the boys were part of a discipline camp at a resort along the Hennops River.
According to preliminary information, the camp was organized by the NGO Rising Stars Generation. It started on Friday and the boys would return home again on Monday.
“After the activities came to an end on Monday, one of the learners apparently ran to the nearby river, near the camp site’s entrance. A second learner followed him in an attempt to bring him back,” reads the statement from the department.
The learner who initially ran away apparently jumped into the river, with the second one following to try and save him.
“Unfortunately, both learners drowned as a result.”
They were 13 and 16 years old respectively.
Charles Mabaso, spokesperson for the Tshwane emergency services, says emergency service workers received an emergency call at 15:14 on Monday during which the incident was reported. However, when emergency workers arrived on the scene, the boys were already dead.
Police divers brought the learners’ bodies out of the water and paramedics declared them dead at the scene.
“The police are investigating the circumstances leading up to the drowning incident,” says Mabaso.
The provincial education department will be sent to the school to provide trauma counseling and support.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of the learners during a school trip. We express our sincere condolences to the respective families and the Daveyton Skills School community,” says Chiloane.
The victims’ names have not yet been released.
