Amid allegations of visible physical abuse and hunger, Royal College in Florida, Johannesburg, where Grade 6 learner, Jayden-Lee Meek, attended, has denied knowing about the alleged abuse and hunger experienced by him.

This comes as the Gauteng Education Department spokesperson indicated that it is investigating claims of hunger and physical abuse suffered by the learner at the hands of 31-year-old Tiffany Nicole Meek, who was on Friday arrested for her involvement in his death.

The department visited the school on Tuesday, with departmental spokesperson, Steve Mabona, urging schools, including private or public schools, to ensure the safety of their learners.

Some reports have indicated that the 11-year-old had reported abuse to the school before his mysterious and gruesome death after his alleged disappearance on May 13, when he was found on the doorsteps of his Fleurhof home the following day.

Meek appeared briefly in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Monday and the matter was postponed to Friday, July 18, for the compilation of her bail information.

According to the State charge sheet, Jayden-Lee passed away in May allegedly at the hands of his mother.

The young mother faces four charges, including murder, defeating the ends of justice, crimen injuria, and obstruction of the administration of justice.

“Schools need to take action on any of the complaints that are put to them by a child. Educators must make sure that they make inroads with the school management, even if it is about what is happening at home. Schools have NGOs that they work with very closely. The school management and the board need to make sure that action is taken so that we do not find ourselves in any situation that requires us to explain,” Mabona told eNCA.

A school official, who did not want to be named, denied reported claims of abuse and neglect of Jayden-Lee, who was recently described by her teachers as an intelligent young man who made their work easy in class.

“Please note that this matter is being dealt with by the Department of Education, which will release a statement on the matter. The department visited the school and spoke to our principal. However, those allegations that were made, saying the school was aware of the physical abuse and came to school hungry, are not true.

“None of us was aware of the abuse. He never looked like he was abused, and neither did he come to school hungry and with bruises. So, we do not even know where this information is coming from,” the official stated.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za 

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