Pupils and teachers of Eric Louw High School in Musina mourns the death of one of their star students, 17-year-old Isabel du Plessis, who tragically died following a vehicle accident on 29 March.

Isabel and her fellow team mates from the school’s girls first hockey team, together with two teachers, were en route to Groblersdal for a rugby and hockey clinic. The pupils were travelling in two of the school’s mini buses and a sedan.

According to information, the accident happened when the three school vehicle’s overtook a slow moving vehicle on the Lebowakgomo road some 50km from Polokwane. When the minibus in which Isabel was travelling was right next to the slow moving vehicle, it apparently drifted over to their side of the road. In an effort to avoid a crash the teacher driving the minibus swerved, hitting an embankment next to the road. The minibus was thrown back onto the road, spinning out of control and capsizing. All but three passengers of the minibus were apparently flung from the vehicle.
Several girls, as well as the two teachers, sustained serious head, neck and back injuries. Isabel was left unconscious and was airlifted by medical helicopter. She, however, passed away en route to hospital.

At the time of writing this article, information regarding the condition of the other injured girls and the two teachers were still sketchy. An entry on the newspaper’s website indicated that fellow team mate Anandie Oosthuizen (17) had to undergo a 7 hour operation to remove and replace her fifth neck vertebra. She also sustained fractures to vertebra in her neck. By Friday morning her condition was still critical.

An SMS to the newspaper Friday morning also indicated that at that stage doctors were operating on 18-year-old Ronah-Lee Johansen who also sustained serious injuries to her fifth to eleventh spinal vertebra. At that stage, she was still paralyzed in her lower body. Ronah-Lee also sustained a broken arm and ribs, suffering from bleeding on the lungs. By Friday morning, fellow team mate Zanelle Breedt (16) had yet to regain consciousness since the accident, due to severe head trauma.

Back at school trauma counselling was organised for fellow pupils, amidst messages of condolences towards the Du Plessis family and messages of hope towards the parents, family and friends of all the children and teachers who were injured.