Middelburg - A 16-year-old boy was found dead in a dam near a deserted mine after he had been reported missing, Mpumalanga police said on Friday.
Tebogo Ngomane, a Grade 10 pupil at Sibukosethu Secondary School, went missing while returning from a school trip on August 30th, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said.
“The boy was part of a group of boys that were misbehaving on a bus, on their way back from a school trip to Mamelodi,” Mohlala said.
“Apparently the boys were drunk and unruly and the bus driver could not control them.”
Mohlala explained that in a desperate attempt to calm the boys down, the driver flagged down a police vehicle and pleaded with the police to speak to the pupils.
“When the bus stopped and the boys were asked to exit the bus, Ngomane ran away. People went to look for him but they couldn't find him.”
Ngomane's body was found on Thursday by a search party, deployed near the N4 in Middelburg.
Education MEC Reginah Mhaule said she was saddened by the incident.
“It is very painful to lose a child at such a young age. Our deepest condolences go to his family and all who are affected by his untimely death,” Mhaule said.
The department had offered counselling to Ngomane's family and fellow pupils.
A post mortem would determine the exact cause of death.
Sapa