The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng urges the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to require schools to implement all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the learners during school outings. All schools must prioritise providing a secure atmosphere during school outings and ensuring that learners return home safely from school events.
This follows the tragic passing of Latoya Temilton, a grade 7 learner from Laerskool Queenswood in Pretoria, who drowned during a school excursion on Saturday.
While we welcome the department’s decision to launch an independent investigation following the tragic death of the learner, we are deeply concerned that school outings meant to develop and educate our learners have become unsafe. The recent tragedy demonstrates that little, if anything, has been learned from the death of Enoch Mpianzi, a Parktown Boys learner who drowned during a school excursion in 2020.
We acknowledge the importance of swimming as a life skill, sporting career and we believe that learning to swim at a young age can significantly reduce the risk of drowning and save lives.
We also urge that schools should have a responsible person with lifesaving skills such as swimming and first aid on hand on school outings to ensure the safety of learners during water activities. Taking this proactive measure can reduce the risk of accidents and provide certainty for parents, teachers, and school management.
The DA expresses its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Latoya Temilton. We believe that the independent inquiry will thoroughly investigate this matter promptly and provide swift and conclusive answers.