A lack of proper fencing at Knight Marabana Senior Secondary School in Peddie has resulted in a pupil being gored in the left thigh by a bull.
The incident happened on January 29 as a group of Grade 8 pupils were cleaning their classroom.
According to Nandipha Ngwendu’s guardian, Nwabisa Ngwendu, the bull charged at her with no provocation as the girls walked past it.
The girl was rushed to Nompumelelo Hospital where she received stitches, but a follow-up visit to the local clinic revealed the wound had become septic.
Nurses at the clinic referred the teenager back to the hospital, where she was instructed to return every two days for the dressing to be changed.
These trips are costly, the unemployed guardian complained, adding that neither the livestock owner nor the education department had heeded her call for assistance.
The school has since closed due to low pupil numbers as part of the school rationalisation programme, with pupils moving to neighbouring school Mzoxolo Senior Secondary.
“I approached the bull’s owner after the incident but he told that he doesn’t have any money to assist with the medical expenses and said he will donate a goat instead,” Ngwendu said.
“That didn’t happen and there has also been not a lot of assistance from the school. There was a teacher who had agreed to take us to the hospital for the check-ups but for some reason he has stopped coming. What worries me is that this wound does not seem to be healing at all – instead it seems to be getting worse.”
According to Ngwendu, Nandipha often wakes up at night in tears complaining about the pain. With only two childcare grants and one foster-care grant as the household income, Ngwendu said private medical care was out of the question.
“All I want is for my niece to get better. This child is suffering a lot and it’s not her fault at all,” she said.
When the Dispatch arrived at the school, a wire fence ran only along the front of the property, leaving both sides and the back of the school exposed.
Goats were seen grazing on school property.
Attempts to get hold of the former principal yesterday proved unsuccessful. Education department spokesman Malibongwe Mtima confirmed that the incident had been reported to the department but that very little detail had been provided.
“That is why we had to get the district to investigate. We are still waiting for a report-back on the matter,” Mtima said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Bull gores girl on school grounds
The incident happened on January 29 as a group of Grade 8 pupils were cleaning their classroom.
According to Nandipha Ngwendu’s guardian, Nwabisa Ngwendu, the bull charged at her with no provocation as the girls walked past it.
The girl was rushed to Nompumelelo Hospital where she received stitches, but a follow-up visit to the local clinic revealed the wound had become septic.
Nurses at the clinic referred the teenager back to the hospital, where she was instructed to return every two days for the dressing to be changed.
These trips are costly, the unemployed guardian complained, adding that neither the livestock owner nor the education department had heeded her call for assistance.
The school has since closed due to low pupil numbers as part of the school rationalisation programme, with pupils moving to neighbouring school Mzoxolo Senior Secondary.
“I approached the bull’s owner after the incident but he told that he doesn’t have any money to assist with the medical expenses and said he will donate a goat instead,” Ngwendu said.
“That didn’t happen and there has also been not a lot of assistance from the school. There was a teacher who had agreed to take us to the hospital for the check-ups but for some reason he has stopped coming. What worries me is that this wound does not seem to be healing at all – instead it seems to be getting worse.”
According to Ngwendu, Nandipha often wakes up at night in tears complaining about the pain. With only two childcare grants and one foster-care grant as the household income, Ngwendu said private medical care was out of the question.
“All I want is for my niece to get better. This child is suffering a lot and it’s not her fault at all,” she said.
When the Dispatch arrived at the school, a wire fence ran only along the front of the property, leaving both sides and the back of the school exposed.
Goats were seen grazing on school property.
Attempts to get hold of the former principal yesterday proved unsuccessful. Education department spokesman Malibongwe Mtima confirmed that the incident had been reported to the department but that very little detail had been provided.
“That is why we had to get the district to investigate. We are still waiting for a report-back on the matter,” Mtima said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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