Parents of 'poisoned' pupil pin hopes on postmortem

The parents of the late grade 9 pupil Brian Ndlovu are pinning their hopes on postmortem results to reveal the exact time that their son was allegedly poisoned. 

Brian’s aunt Glenda Marongwe said they were convinced that Brian, 15, was bullied and poisoned at his school – Queens High School in Joburg – on July 31 before he died in clinic on his return from school. 

“The postmortem results will tell us all the truth because this is a serious issue. The investigations have already confirmed that he was poisoned but what’s left to figure out is when was he poisoned,” said Marongwe.

She also dismissed allegations that Brian could have committed suicide. 

Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the boy died after drinking something that was given to him by his neighbour to calm him down after his father confronted him about being involved in a school fight. 

“There’s no reason for Brian to commit suicide and there is no reason for our neighbour to give him something [poison]. It doesn’t make any sense and we don’t want to drag this any longer than it should be. We just want the truth. We want to bury Brian and we want to bury him with the truth,” said the aunt.

According to the family, Brian came home from school feeling sick. His father had received a call from the principal stating that Brian had been in a fight at school and upon confrontation, the teenager explained to his parents that he’s been bullied at school by fellow matriculants and was dragged to the school’s bathrooms and forced to drink poison by the bullies.  

Marongwe said that Brian was convulsing and having seizures before he was taken to the Hillbrow Clinic, where he later died. 

Yesterday, Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane visited the school and told journalists that there is CCTV footage showing Brian laughing with his friends at school after the altercation before he died hours later.  

Chiloane explained that the school has 96 cameras on the premises and that the only record that was recorded by the school was the scuffle that Brian had with the grade 8 learner. 

“ The incident was seen on camera where Brian slapped the grade 8 pupil. The teacher at the school, Mr Lombard, had witnessed the fight and was able to take the learners to the deputy principal.” 

Chiloane added that the school had called both parents to the school the next day to discuss the fight.

“The parents of the grade 8 learner came and the school found out that Brian had passed away the previous night at a clinic,” said the MEC. 

Chiloane said with the cameras, Brian’s movements at school were traced by investigating officers. 

“After the altercation, Brian could be seen laughing with his friends and going to his classes. The school told us that he was then given a lift home by one of the SGB members who is a teacher,” said Chiloane. 

“We are waiting for the police to give us a report as it is a police matter so that we can put this to rest. We await for the postmortem results.”