The Gauteng Department of Education has hired a law firm investigate how a five-year-old boy was injured at school and later died..
His mother, fearing foul play, claims that her son was allegedly locked inside a classroom before becoming trapped in a window, raising serious questions about the safety protocols in place at the school. As the investigation unfolds, the community is left grappling with the shocking implications of this incident.
Gauteng MEC Matome Chiloane visited the bereaved family in Soweto on Friday, February 13, to offer support and highlight the importance of finding out what happened.
Manqoba Mnisi, a Grade R learner at Bernard Isaacs Primary School in Coronationville, Johannesburg, reportedly sustained injuries on the school premises on Monday, 2 February 2026, and passed away later that day after being hospitalised.
His family says they are still struggling to come to terms with what happened.
“The purpose of the independent investigation is to establish the full facts and circumstances surrounding this incident,” Chiloane said.
He added that the law firm will be formally introduced to both the deceased learner’s family and the school on Tuesday, February 17.
Addressing the media, Chiloane acknowledged the deep pain the family is experiencing and the wider impact of the tragedy.
“It is a difficult period for the family, for us as a sector, and for the community at large. I will not say the family is coping. The family is looking for answers, and answers we are willing to provide - that’s why we are setting out this independent investigation to really get to the bottom of what really happened,” he said.
He noted that conflicting reports about the incident made an independent review essential.
“There have been many reports coming in, and there are conflicting and contradicting among them. So that’s why we have appointed this independent investigation law firm to assist us in getting to the bottom, so that we can provide answers to the family. So that they can also begin the process of healing for the loss of their child. But it is quite difficult. The parents, the mother, the grandfather - they are in pain. When they give us these kids, it’s our responsibility to take full care of them until we let them go after school,” Chiloane added.
The GDE has said the independent investigation will look at every detail of the incident, aiming to give clear answers for both the family and the school community.
IOL previously reported that Manqoba Mnisi’s mother, Bongiwe Mnisi, from Jabulani in Soweto, described the shock and confusion she felt when the school called her around 10am on Monday.
“They just told me that there was an incident at the school and that I must come there,” she said. “They didn’t explain what had happened.”
Mnisi said the school later told her they would come and pick her up so she could go to the hospital with them, but even then, she still didn’t know what had happened.
“When I asked what happened, they said they were coming to fetch me to go to hospital, but they wouldn’t tell me anything,” she explained.
She added that the school later claimed her son had collapsed near the school toilets.
“They said they found him collapsed near the toilet door, tried CPR and checked his pulse, but he didn’t respond.”
Saturday Star