Covid-19: teenager and grandmother die one day apart

A grade nine pupil of Potchefstroom Technical High School succumbed to Covid-19 complications on Thursday, 15 April. Tragically, her grandmother died the day after.

In an official letter posted on the school’s Facebook page the principal, Mr. Dries de Beer expressed his condolences: “It is very sad to announce the passing of one of our grade 9 learners due to complications related to Covid 19. She was ill at home since 2 April and succumbed to the illness on Thursday. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends.”

According to Elias Malindi, the spokesperson of the Department of Education, the learner’s name may not be made public without the consent of her guardian. The principal said that the learner was staying with her aunt and grandmother in Mohadin.

Yesterday, the school commemorated her life with a memorial service. The funeral of the grandmother and granddaughter is being held today (20 April). Counselling was arranged for the learner’s classmates on Monday. According to the principal, the school recorded six Covid-19 cases the past four weeks. In most of the cases, the learners had already isolated for two days when they were tested. There were also learners who isolated due to family members who tested positive, although they never showed symptoms. All these cases were reported to the North West Department of Education as prescribed.