ANCYL: Boy’s pit toilet death used for political scoring

ALLEGATIONS of certain political parties using the tragic death of five-year-old Michael Komape to score political points before the upcoming election have been made by the ANC Youth League (ANCYL).

This follows after various political party representatives visited Mahlodumela Primary School in Chebeng outside Polokwane after Michael’s death. Michael fell into a pit latrine and was found dead some hours later last week.

ANCYL provincial task team spokesperson, Onicca Moloi said in a press release that the ANCYL was “astonished by the cheap politicking of opposition formations around the death of Michael, who upon hearing of the tragedy, flocked to the school to score cheap political points”.

UDM Limpopo’s Conty Lebepe visited the school, and said the UDM was worried about the unfortunate situation. He said the death of Michael was a great loss.

AgangSA provincial chair-person, Pat Phintsi visited the school with his team. He said they were saddened by the conditions found at the school. “As AgangSA we are saying: let us change and look at AgangSA; maybe things will change for the better,” he said.

He further emphasised that should AgangSA rule the country, they would ensure that education became their priority.

Cope provincial spokesperson Motlatjo Thetjeng who also visited the school, said members of the school governing body (SGB) claimed they were instructed not to talk to members of any political parties.

“The SGB is the parent component and represents the parents but they told us that they were instructed by the department not to talk to us. We are a political party and we are constitutionally doing an oversight here so we need to understand the situation at this school,” he said.

However, education spokes-person, Phuti Seloba said it was not true that they had given such instructions.

“This is not true. The department only regulates its own personnel, such as teachers, and not parental components.”