Anele Mdoda – like many parents around the country – are both heartbroken and enraged following the drowning of Laerskool Queenswood learner Latoya Temilton at a school camp over the weekend.
The 947 presenter – who has called for accountability from both the school and the Department of Education – spoke to an anonymous learner’s mother about what transpired during the tragedy.
And what she had to say was nothing short of disturbing.
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LETOYA TEMILTON DROWNS DURING SCHOOL CAMP
Latoya Temilton – of Pretoria’s Laerskool Queenswood – died during a Grade 7 school leadership outing over the weekend.
According to Letoya’s sister Palesa, her family was told she had hit her head on the pool’s edge.
Palesa told Newzroom Afrika that the school had “hid” the news until she was due to return home. The family also learned that the learners were allegedly left unsupervised at the pool area.
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Palesa said: “I feel like the school was negligent because they had to look after the kids. We placed them in their hands”.
LEARNER’S MOM DROPS DISTURBING BOMBSHELLS
Speaking anonymously to Anele Mdoda on her 947 breakfast show, a learner’s mother claimed she had gathered information from children who had attended the leadership school camp.
She made the following allegations:
Learners and their parents were only given indemnity forms on the school bus en route to the camp.
The camp facilitators instructed the children to swim in the pool alone.
There was no lifeguard or adult supervision on duty.
A learner – who claimed she spotted a lifeless body underneath the murky water – was told she was “lying” by camp facilitators.
This, amid a search for Latoya.
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Camp facilitators instructed two learners to pull Latoya’s lifeless body out of the pool.
“That is traumatic for anyone,” Anele told the mom.
The principal himself performed CPR on Letoya’s lifeless body and not EMS.
Anele tweeted: “This camp facility was hosting two other schools. That is a lot of kids to not have a lifeguard or a paramedic on site. Too many balls were dropped here.”
Despite not being at the camp, the principal told Latoya’s mom that she had fallen and hit her head on the pool’s edge.
“This is very untrue,” said the anonymous mom.
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Letoya’s parents tried in vain to call the principal to get the location of the accident.
This, after the principal claimed that Letoya’s state was “critical” in his initial call to the family. After “ignoring” their calls, he later informed them that she had passed.
Letoya’s mom asked the DH (head of department) what had happened. She [DH] said: “I don’t know”
The school told pupils and parents not to talk about the incident.
“Could you please not say anything to anyone or post anything on social media,” they allegedly said once learners were returned to their parents.
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The rest of the school was informed of Latoya’s drowning via a message on Sunday evening.
‘TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY’, SAYS ANELE MDODA
The anonymous Laerskool Queenswood mother is demanding answers about Latoya Temilton’s drowning.
She said: “I’d like to see the school take accountability. Say you were sorry. Someone must answer what happened to that child”.
Anele echoed her sentiments of there being “gross negligence”. She also appealed to the school to dedicate ongoing trauma counselling to all the children who attended the camp.
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ANELE MDODA SAYS SCHOOL, DEPARTMENT FAILED TO RESPOND
Anele claimed that both representatives from Laerskool Queenswood school and the Department of Education were invited to speak on her show. Neither responded, she claimed
She tweeted: “Clearly busy designing [100% ] pass rate flyers with politicians faces on them”.
