Johannesburg - Parktown Boys’ High School is holding a memorial service for 13-year-old Enock Mpianzi who drowned during a Grade 8 orientation camp in North West.
Enock went missing during a water activity at a Grade 8 orientation camp in Brits on the first day of the 2020 academic year, but his body was only found on Thursday. The boy was last seen on Wednesday when a water raft he and other pupils had built overturned on the Crocodile River on the first day of the camp.
The teenager's death has made headlines across the country and many South Africans were harshly critical of what they labelled the lack of care and attention from educators who accompanied the pupils on the camp.
The Department of Basic Education has appointed a private legal firm to fully investigate the incident and Gauteng Education MEC Panyazi Lesufi gave instruction that all school excursions in the province must be approved by him.
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Last week he Mpianzi family accepted an offer from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for legal representation in the wake of the tragedy.
Late last week Enock’s uncle, Sebastian Kodie Motha, told The Star that with the assistance of the SAHRC, the family wanted justice, answers and support following his nephew’s drowning.
Motha said the family, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was comforted by the SAHRC’s help, because they weren’t familiar with South African law.
“We did not know how to proceed. Should we approach the school or the government or whatever is according to the law of the country,” he said.