The family of a seven-year-old Grade 2 boy who died at the school grounds while playing with others said there was no bad blood between them and the school authorities.

This was the reaction of the father of the boy, immediately after learning of his death. Vhalusani Mmbubana of Tshitomboni tsha Mmbubana outside Thohoyandou met his untimely and gruesome death while playing on a makeshift seesaw, consisting of a wooden log, which the children used on the school grounds. He was a learner at Tshinetise Primary School in the village.

Mr Robert Mukwevho, principal at Tshinetise Primary School where Vhalusani attended school, said he was alerted to the scene by children who were playing with young Vhalusani. "When I arrived, I was shocked to find him bleeding from the nose and ears after being crushed by the wooden log they were playing on. We took him to the clinic, but he was certified dead on arrival."

Mukwevho said it was unfortunate that the boy had to die that way. They had been playing on this log for a long time, but nothing like this had ever happened. "There is a need for infrastructure at the school; we have to come up with a solution before more lives are lost." He said the school is faced with many challenges, but they have to put the issue of the safety of learners before everything. "We have to see to it that our learners have a safe playing environment whilst in our care," he added.

"We are very saddened by this death, and we do not even know what to do. We are just waiting for God’s power to exercise itself on us, and everything is in the hands of God," said the child’s father, Phineas Mmbubana. Mmbubana said he was at work in Gauteng when he learned about the child’s death, "I nearly fainted. I never thought something like this could happen at the school grounds. We were still awaiting good things from him as he was a bright and intelligent boy." He added that his family accepted that the incident was beyond human control and they did not blame the school’s authorities. "Children want to play and they should not be denied the right to that. Let them play in a safe environment where they will not be exposed to dangers like what happened to our child," he said.

The local traditional leader, Khosi Vho Vhangani Mmbubana, said the whole community was saddened by the boy’s death. "The log on which they were playing was just a time bomb which exploded the moment it had the opportunity. We never expected that to happen as the children always used it for play," he said. Mmbubana said they had to think of what to do in order to avert a recurrence of the incident. "What we have to do here is to sit down with the relevant stakeholders and see what we can do for our children. They need facilities for play and government, together with the community, should make provision for that," he said.