What is a discipline camp?
For now, nobody knows what it is yet. But what is known is that two Gauteng boys died at a discipline camp.
Earlier this month, Siphamandla Peterson (15) and Sibusiso Sibiya (17), two Daveyton Skills School learners drowned during a discipline camp at Rock Falls Adventure Ranch in Centurion.
Today, they were laid to rest.
Speaking to media after the funeral, education MEC Matome Chiloane said psycho-social support has been offered to the pupils and affected families.
“The appointed law firm will ascertain why the school partnered with that NGO. In terms of protocol, we are looking at strengthening the gazette because I have gone through it and there are loopholes. You know in law, the words you put, you cannot be ambiguous. In the gazette we have words like ‘within reasonable measures’ – what are reasonable measures? We need to be quite specific, so that in future should such an incident happen we are thorough. We must have the do’s and the don'ts and no middle ground.
Read more | It's the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death – how to protect your kids from drowning
“The gazette is also explicit [currently] on what needs to happen if there needs to be a trip. It currently speaks about 1 educator to 20 learners.”
He adds that when learners are going to venues with bodies of water, the stipulations about lifeguards should also be there.
“I also think 20 learners is a lot. Maybe we need to reduce it,” he says.
MEC Chiloane appointed an independent investigative law firm to probe the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the teens.
Read more | Thieves drowned in Marikana dam
At the time, he expressed his disappointment at some Gauteng schools for not taking extra precautionary measures to safeguard the lives of learners during excursions, as well as the lack of adhering to protocols pertaining to applying for excursions with the Department.
The discipline camp was not sanctioned by the department.
It was initially reported that after activities had been concluded in the afternoon of Monday 15 April, one of the learners suddenly ran towards a nearby river close to the campsite entrance. A second learner followed in an attempt to bring him back.
It is further alleged that the learner who ran off jumped into the river, prompting the second learner to try and rescue him. However, both learners unfortunately drowned as a result.
