The departmental spokesperson, Freddy Sepeng, says the pupil went into the unused pit toilet, which was already not in a good condition. He says the pupil, unfortunately, fell inside but fortunately she managed to escape unharmed and is in a good condition. Sepeng says the department will investigate how the girl gained entry to this toilet while there are newly built ones at the school.

The department has recently been faced with unfortunate incidents that placed it at the centre of public scrutiny by different sectors of the society. OFM News previously reported that a 15-year-old school girl was allegedly raped in the toilets of a Potchefstroom school by two boys who took turns in raping her on 8 March 2019. The incident took place just a few days before the provincial safety summit which was held on 12 and 13 March in Rustenburg. The summit saw the department engaging with key stakeholders including traditional leaders, businesses and other government departments with the hopes of ending school violence.

OFM News