Free State Education MEC, Tate Makgoe, announced the death of the 13-year old learner at the school located over 60 kms outside Bloemfontein, via his official Twitter page on Wednesday night.

The cause of death remains unknown at this stage but it is expected that an autopsy will be performed.

Makgoe expressed his condolences, adding “may God give her family, fellow schoolmates, teachers of Amohelang Primary School the courage and strength to pass this storm”.

The name of the learner is yet to be made public. The Education MEC’s tweet drew some criticism from two Twitter users who assumed the death was COVID-19 related.

He stressed in response that the cause of death remains unknown at this stage. Department spokesperson Howard Ndaba says they are availing counselling services for teachers and learners following the incident.

The last time a primary school learner died under mysterious circumstances in the Free State was in March 2020.

OFM News reported that tragedy struck Tsholetseng Primary School in March in Bloemfontein when the eight-year-old learner, Relebohile Mokgadi, died after consuming a chocolate bar.

While the circumstances around the incident remained unclear then, Free State Education Spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, said the deceased grade three learner is reported to have suffered from what appeared to be an epileptic fit, after sharing the same chocolate bar with other learners.

A team of investigators were dispatched to the school and worked hand-in-hand with the provincial health department to establish the cause of the death.

Six of Mokgadi’s fellow classmates landed in Pelonomi Hospital after ingesting the same chocolate. It is yet to be determined what the current status of the police investigation into the incident is.

OFM News