Lovely Mokoena is searching for answers about her late daughter Amkelekile’s death at MEL International School in Germiston.

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The school has since expressed its condolences to the girl’s parents and commented that learners were supervised on the day of the girl’s death.

“I want to understand what happened to my Amu. One minute she was alive and now she is dead,” said Mokoena.

The mother said on the morning of January 24 she received a phone call from the school requesting her to come to the hospital as her daughter had collapsed in class.

Amu’s parents were told at the hospital that their daughter had died.

“I did not understand how my Amu could be gone. She left home healthy and happy. I have questions,” said the girl’s mother.

Mokoena said a forensic autopsy revealed that the girl died from choking from a grape.

Her mother confirmed that Amkelekile had grapes packed for lunch that day.

GCN visited the school, which stated that it had followed protocols on the day of the incident.

“The school, teachers, and learners offer our deepest condolences to the parents and family of Amkelekile,” said the school’s lawyer Chantell Timm.

“During the first break, Amkelekile sat two places away from one of the teachers. She was happy and talking with her friends. She was under supervision at all times,” said Timm.

“At the end of the break, she lined up with the other children and walked to her classroom and lined up again,” explained Timm.

She said Amkelekile was part of the first group that went into the classroom to put away their lunch boxes before going to the bathroom.

“She walked into the classroom and shortly after she reached her desk, a fellow learner approached the class teacher and informed the teacher that Amkelekile did not want to get up. The teacher ran to her and asked her to get up, she did not respond.

“The teacher noticed that she was unresponsive. She called the other teacher to assist her and she went straight to the principal office to report the incident,” said Timm.

“She was rushed to Bertha Gxowa Hospital, which is a few blocks from the school premises. It is the nearest hospital to the school. The parents were contacted immediately and informed that the child had been taken to hospital after she suddenly collapsed in class,” said Timm.

She said the school community was shocked and saddened by the girl’s death.

“Amkelekile and her fellow learners were supervised at all times by the teachers during break and whilst they were lining up at their respective classes. At no point did she show any signs of discomfort or stress before she collapsed in the classroom,” said Timm.

“The school is participating in the ongoing investigations by the police and the Department of Education and has not been appraised with the outcome of any such investigation,” said Timm.

GCN sent an inquiry to the Department of Education and had not received any response by the time of going to print.