Gauteng Education MEC visits Queens High School after a pupil died in a suspected poisoning

Gauteng’s Education MEC, Matome Chiloane said police are underway with investigations in a suspected poisoning of Brian Ndlovu, a Grade 9 Queens High School pupil who is said to have allegedly died in a poisoning incident last week Monday.

Ndlovu was rushed to Hillbrow Clinic for treatment.

“The incident took place on 31 July. Ndlovu had a coming together with a Grade 8 boy and, in the incident, the Grade 8 boy was slapped. Both [sets of] parents were called to school. But the following day, only the Grade 8 boy’s father arrived. That’s when the school learned that Ndlovu had passed on,” Chiloane said upon his visit to the school on Monday.

According to the MEC, the school is surrounded by 96 CCTV cameras, and Ndlovu was carefully monitored on that fateful day.

“Ndlovu was laughing with his friends. We checked with his teachers who said he showed no sign of being ill,” Chiloane added.

He further said, If there were those suspected for foul play, there would be a penalty set for them.

“Once it is in the police’s hands, it is a criminal investigation. We don’t know if it was poisoning or suicide. There are high cases of kids dying by suicide. There are issues with mental health at schools. There have been a number of cases,” Chiloane said.

The Gauteng Department of Education and the school are still waiting for the post-mortem results.