Child drowning: teachers and parents ‘negligent’
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane has visited Queenswood Primary School in Pretoria to share the results of a report by an independent investigative law firm appointed to probe the circumstances leading to Grade 7 pupil Latoya Temilton’s death.
Temilton lost her life when she drowned at a school leadership camp on 20 January.
Chiloane said the report presented by Nchupetsang, a law firm, was “quite comprehensive and strong”.
Meshack Nchupetsang of Nchupetsang Attorneys said the teachers present on the day were extremely negligent.
He added that the teachers and principal were only able to give accounts of what happened after Temilton had drowned.
“There was very little supervision, if any, by the educators on site. During our investigation it was only the facilitators of the camp and the pupils that could give a proper account of how Temilton drowned,” added Nchupetsang.
Some pupils pointed out Temilton could not swim and some said they saw her flapping her hands in the water but thought she was playing around.
It was only after she went missing that the teachers paid attention.
Even then, when it was found that Temilton was at the bottom of the pool, the teachers put another pupil’s life at risk by getting him to retrieve her body.
The independent law investigators also found the camp and its staff were partially negligent for failing to clearly mark shallow and deep pool areas and for not responding promptly to potential incidents.
They stressed the importance of prioritising child safety, with increased supervision, lifeguard presence during swimming and enhanced approval processes.
Nchupetsang Attorneys recommended charging the principal and teachers with misconduct for providing fabricated information to the department or its representatives, contradicting the pupils’ attestations.
In addition, the investigators suggested the removal of the school governing body because it did not participate in the issue.
They said the Gauteng department of education might face civil liability and a possibility of a claim for constitutional damages regarding the incident due to potential negligence.
Temilton’s parents were also said to be liable for “contributory negligence”. “The invitation did indicate that the excursion had swimming activities involved and they packed her swimming costume knowing she could not swim,” said the investigators.