Family of 7 year old racing against time to bury their daughter

Senamile Ndlovu(L) and Gcinisile Ndlovu(R) mother to the 7 year old Sinikiwe Ndlovu, a Grade 2 pupil who was allegedly ran over a transport driver at the Hector Peterson primary school a month ago subsequently lost her life in hospital, the family of the 7 year old are seeking answers from the school on what lead to the incident, Dobsonville. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA)

Senamile Ndlovu(L) and Gcinisile Ndlovu(R) mother to the 7 year old Sinikiwe Ndlovu, a Grade 2 pupil who was allegedly ran over a transport driver at the Hector Peterson primary school a month ago subsequently lost her life in hospital, the family of the 7 year old are seeking answers from the school on what lead to the incident, Dobsonville. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Jun 30, 2022

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Siyabonga Sithole

The family of a 7-year-old who died on Monday after spending more than a month in ICU at Leratong Hospital said they were racing against time to arrange a proper send-off for their daughter. Sinikizwe Ndlovu, a Grade 2 learner at Hector Peterson Primary school in Dobsonville, was run over by a school transport driver on May 7.

This happens while the Ndlovu family is trying to raise enough money to bury Sinikizwe. The Gauteng department of education failed to return media inquiries on steps taken to help the family. Education department spokesperson Steve Mabona later asked this reporter to furnish him with contact details of the family while an official identified as Ms Moweni referred our queries to the the office of the spokesperson.

The family said they did not have the funds to organise a proper send off for their child as attempts to get help from the department had failed while school principal, Mr Bonyongo, said the school could not help because it did not have funds.

Speaking to this newspaper, the principal said he was currently in meetings with the department and the school governing body to see what they could do.

“l have been meeting with the SGB and we went to visit the family yesterday to see what we can do to help them. I am will be meeting the department to see what they will help us with as we try to assist the family with funeral arrangements,” Bonyongo said.

However, the family said: “We really do not have a plan as we did not have a funeral cover for her. If we fail to get help, we might have to postpone the funeral to next week,” Senamile Ndlovu told this newspaper on Wednesday.

Sinikizwe was last month run over by a scholar transporter on the premises of her school, and spent over a month at Leratong Hospital after having suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Having suffered serious injuries to her head and body, Sinikizwe was at the time of her passing unable to eat, breath and speak on her own since the day of the accident and had undergone more than five surgeries with a sixth one scheduled for later this week.

It is reported that the 7-year-old was inside the school premises when on the May 17, she along with her school friends was playing while waiting for transport. A driver of one of the scholar transport, who is said to have been playing loud music in his car while on a cellphone, knocked the child over dragging her more than five metres before stopping. Sinikizwe suffered extensive damage to her ribs and eye as brain matter came out of her eye. The family was alerted to the accident by the school principal who then assisted the family with transport to Leratong Hospital where the child spent more than a month in ICU.

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