Poison after matric fail

A 17-year-old girl tried to commit suicide by drinking poison outside her school yesterday, hours after large parts of the school were damaged by a massive fire.

According to the girl’s mother, her daughter told the family she was embarrassed to return to Khutlo-Tharo Secondary School, after having to repeat Grade 10.

The mother said she did not foresee that her daughter would try to take her own life.

Emergency personnel treated the girl before taking her to Sebokeng Hospital.

The rest of the pupils at the Sebokeng school got off to a disastrous start, after they were told to return home because of the fire in the early hours.

About 7am, pupils, dressed in their new uniforms, stood helplessly outside the school gates hoping to get answers from their teachers. Some were accompanied by their parents. They were told to go home.

By 8am, many pupils were still milling around the school, watching as police forensic experts combed the scene.

According to residents who stay near the school, the fire started just after 2am.

They said the fire spread uncontrollably because of a lack of water in the area.

Many offices went up in flames and some parts of the roof were severely burnt, while windows were shattered.

A Grade 12 pupil said the incident had disappointed her. “Today was supposed to be my first day in Grade 12. Thanks to cruel people, it has been spoiled. I was expecting to be in class and learn. But someone robbed me of the opportunity to learn.”

The pupil complained her peers elsewhere in the country were already in their classrooms.

“Other pupils are already ahead of us, while we wait here outside not knowing if we will be taught this week. I am very angry and disappointed by what happened here. Those behind this must be arrested,” she said.

Another Grade 12 pupil echoed her sentiments, calling on police to act swiftly and arrest those involved.

“No responsible person can burn a school. Where do they expect us to learn? They are depriving us of our right to education.

“Police must hunt them and arrest them. This is a crime and must be treated as such. Now we are told to go home .... ”

– OFM News with additional reporting by News24 Wire

No responsible person can burn a school. Where do they expect us to learn?

Grade 12 pupil commenting on a devastating fire at her school