Law firm appointed to probe Queenswood pupil’s drowning
Matome Chiloane has announced the appointment of Nchupetsang Incorporated Attorneys to probe the death of a grade 7 pupil at Laerskool Queenswood.
The Gauteng Education MEC held a press briefing at the school on Monday after 12-year-old Latoya Temilton reportedly drowned on 20 January while on a one-day school excursion.
The law firm has seven days to present its findings and recommendations to the department.
"They've done some work for us. They were responsible for a major case that we were dealing with, the case of the selling of posts. So, they are quite reputable with vast experience, and they will help us to get to the bottom of this," Chiloane said.
He said the school had met the requirements before the approval of the outing to Wag n Bietjie campsite in Olifantsfontein.
We’re at Laerskool Queenswood in Tshwane this morning where Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane is expected to announce the independent law firm tasked with probing the death of grade pupil #LatoyaTemilton pic.twitter.com/p1TdoHEcoH
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) January 29, 2024
Meanwhile, Chiloane said while the guidelines for approval may have been met on paper, Nchupetsang Attorneys was tasked with establishing whether these were followed in practice.
The MEC said the school had approval from both the head of the department and the pupils' parents.
"Beyond complying with documentation there needs to be an action. Did you do what we are saying that you should do on an excursion?
"And that's what we are trying to find out - was it done?"
Meshack Nchupetsang of Nchupetsang Incorporated Attorneys said their fact-finding process would include working with police and the management of the Wag n Bietjie campsite where the incident occurred.
Temilton's family was yet to meet the investigators, as they had not returned from Mpumalanga, where they laid Latoya to rest on Saturday.
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