Six-Year-Old South African Pupil Reportedly Commits Suicide In School

It has been reported that a six-year-old pupil named Mohau Mamaregane, allegedly committed suicide at his school in Seshego outside Polokwane, South Africa on Tuesday.

According to report, the Grade 1 learner at Dorothy Langa Primary School, was found hanging from a noose on a recycling bag in the picture below after he had asked to go the toilet.

But when he did not return to class, another pupil was sent to look for him. And it was said by the school that the fellow pupil allegedly found him with his head inside a recycling bin after he was then rushed to a local clinic where he was certified dead.

But the family who feel indifferent about the report given to them by the school are seeking answers after mysterious marks were discovered on his neck.

According to the little boy’s mother, 34-year-old Rosina Mamaregane, her son “had bruises on his neck which indicated that a rope had been used to strangle him”.

While adding that he also had a swollen cheek, bubbles were coming out of his mouth and he had also vomited, said;

“I want answers to what caused my son’s death.”

With tears rolling down her face, the distraught mother said she had received a call from the school principal summoning her to the local clinic where he had taken her son.

“There is a first-aid kit at every school. Why they did not use it on him while summoning paramedics?” she asked.

“The principal told me to accept what the nurses told me. I smell a rat.”

“As a family we believe he was strangled and suffocated inside a recycling bin on the school premises, as evidenced by footprints we found next to where his body was found,” Mamaregane said.

The mother said when she went to fetch the postmortem report, she was told it would only be given to the police.

“I guess there is more to this than meets the eye. The truth must come out,” she said.

Her sister, Lekwetse Nchabeleng, disclosing that they were still traumatized by the incident, also said;

“I raised the boy as my own. It is impossible that he could have committed suicide,” said Nchabeleng who was supported by her 75-year-old grandfather, Bernard Mamabolo who urged police to investigate the matter.

Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said the circumstances behind the incident were unknown and that investigations would reveal the cause of death.

“We advise members of the community, including teachers, to put the safety of children first on the basis that their movements and whereabouts must be monitored at all times to prevent these type of incidents,” Ngoepe said.

Also speaking on the incident, the Provincial education department spokesman, Naledzani Rasila, who stated that they were working with police and the family to uncover the truth said they had also provided counselling to pupils and teachers at the school.

Source: The Sowetan