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Tragedy Strikes: Two Teenage Boys Drown in Hennops River During School Excursion
Two teenage boys from the Daveyton Skills School in Benoni tragically drowned in the Hennops River near Centurion during a school excursion on Monday afternoon.
According to IOL, Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Thabo Mabaso said the authorities received a distress call after 3 pm regarding the drowning incident.
“Emergency Services arrived on the scene to find that two boys aged between 13 years and 16 years of age had drowned. It is alleged that the boys were engaged in a water activity as part of a school excursion,” Mabaso said.
He added that their bodies were recovered by the South African Police Services (SAPS) divers and were declared dead by paramedics on the scene.
“Circumstances leading to the drowning incident remain a subject of investigation by the SAPS,” Mabaso added.
Unfortunately, SAPS members were not immediately available to comment on the incident.
Also read: Nchupetsang Attorneys to Probe Tragic Drowning of Laerskool Queenswood Pupil, Latoya Temilton
This tragedy recalls a similar incident in January, where Latoya Temilton, a Grade 7 learner from Laerskool Queenswood, drowned while on a leadership camp at the Wag ‘n Bietjie Resort in Witkoppen.
A law firm probing her death has advised her parents to charge the school principal and teachers for failing to care for the learner while in their care.
Investigations revealed that the campsite’s pool was unsuitable for children, and no teachers or lifeguards were on duty despite indications that Latoya could not swim.
Nchupetsang Attorneys’ investigation into the tragic incident at the leadership camp revealed several shortcomings in the planning and executing the excursion.
The legal team identified several consistent facts during their interviews: the camp where the incident occurred was designated as a leadership camp for the 2024 prefects organised by the school. The camp featured a swimming pool in the programme provided to parents on the day; however, it didn’t seem suitable for children, lacking safety measures such as life jackets or lifeguards.
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Picture: X / CliffShiko
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