The Limpopo provincial government has extended an olive branch to the Komape family, who are in court seeking justice following the tragic death of their 5-year old son Michael Komape.
Michael died on 20 January 2014, after falling into a reportedly dilapidated pit toilet at Mahlodumela primary school in Chebeng village outside Polokwane.
Last week, his death came back into the spotlight as advocacy group Section 27 on behalf of the Komape family pursues a civil lawsuit in the Polokwane High Court against the Department of Basic Education and Limpopo Department of Education, demanding that government pays damages amounting to about R 3 million to the family.
The family and Section 27 are also seeking a declaratory order compelling the state to uplift standards of safety and hygiene across schools in Limpopo.
At the start of the trial on Monday 13 November, Michael’s mother Rosina Komape who was first on the witness stand claimed that three years on, the family had not yet received an apology nor assistance from government.
However, provincial government spokesperson Phuti Seloba, who was the spokesperson of the Education department in the province at the time of Komape’s death, denies the family’s claims.
Seloba says, “We all agree that this should not have happened, as the government we take liability, but we immediately went in and helped the family, presented the undertaker to the family and went to buy groceries with the father. We worked with the family through B3 who conducted the funeral, we helped them together with former Polokwane Mayor Freddy Greaver,” he says.
“I was personally there when all these things happened, and when I hear statements lodged against the government, I think to myself, those are lies, of course no amount of money can ever equate to the loss of a young person,” explains Seloba.
Meanwhile, Section 27’s communications manager Nomatter Ndebele is adamant government is not as compassionate as they claim to be.
Ndebele says since the incident occurred, the Department of Education in Limpopo has failed to come up with a proper plan to uplift sanitation facilities at public schools.
“They have fixed a few schools, however, even after Michael died, very little changed, his school got toilets two weeks after he died and then a few schools in the area received new toilets,” she says.
Ndebele says Komape might not be the last pupil to fall into a pit toilet as they’ve received reports of children being bitten by snakes while using toilets at public schools.
“At the moment, we know that there are 1.7 million learners in Limpopo who are subjected to unsafe sanitary conditions,” Ndebele further explains.
“It cannot go on like this, how many more children should die until government wakes up and realise that providing proper sanitation is part of giving children a right to quality basic education,” she concludes.
The case is set to continue until 1 December 2017
