Cape Town - The family of a 3-year-old boy who was killed after a shelf allegedly collapsed on him at Little Ashford Preschool in Bedfordview is demanding answers from the facility.
According to reports, the family of little Kganya, 3, was told that the shelf fell on him in one of the classrooms during snack time when he reached for something on the shelf.
Kganya is believed to have sustained head injuries and was then moved to the school’s sickbay before paramedics arrived. He later died in hospital.
The toddler’s grandfather, Muarice Radebe, said they still could not believe what happened.
He said the events leading to little Kganya’s death were still not clear because when they arrived at the crèche they asked for the principal and they were informed that the principal was not there.
“We are getting a lot of conflicting stories of how a 3-year-old could have died in a pre-school. When you send your child to a pre-school you are really sending him from a place of safety and you expect the protection and the care to happen.
“The story were are hearing is that the he was playing next to a cupboard and then the cupboard fell on him, and when I arrived on the scene here, there was blood all over the floor and the blood as if almost like someone was hurt,“ he said.
Radebe said that one of the critical issues for the family is what actually happened and they have demanded to see the CCTV footage because they are getting conflicting stories but they have been denied access to it.
“We will not rest as the family until we found out what happened,” he said.
He told Newzroom Afrika that when they arrived at the premises they were told that they cannot get the CCTV footage because there was load shedding.
“We said we will wait until 2pm and it’s after 2pm now, and when we want to see the footage there were police and they have gotten (cordoned) off the place. They say now the whole crime scene is cut off from us, even us as parents, which is very difficult,” Radebe said.
Radebe further said as the family they want a detailed investigation that will arrive at a credible conclusion.
Meanwhile, the communication teams from Little Ashford Preschool told the media that they will be issuing a statement in due course as the police were still busy with the investigation.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said they were disheartened by the death of the toddler at Little Ashford ECD Centre in Bedfordview.
They would be visiting the facility on Wednesday to understand the circumstances that led to the little boy’s death.
“We wish to convey our condolences to the family, friends and the schooling community," MEC Chiloane said.
IOL