The Gauteng Department of Education has enlisted a law firm to probe the circumstances surrounding the death of a five-year-old boy who suffered injuries at school.

His mother, fearing foul play, claims that her son was allegedly locked inside a classroom before becoming trapped in a window, raising serious questions about the safety protocols in place at the school. As the investigation unfolds, the community is left grappling with the shocking implications of this incident.

Manqoba Mnisi, a Grade R learner at Bernard Isaacs Primary School in Coronationville, Johannesburg, died last week on Monday, February 2, 2026. 

His family says they are still struggling to come to terms with what happened.

His mother, Bongiwe Mnisi, from Jabulani in Soweto, said her ordeal began when she received a distressing call from the school at about 10am on Monday.

“They just told me that there was an incident at the school and that I must come there,” she said. 

“They didn’t explain what had happened.”

Mnisi said the school later told her they would fetch her so they could go to hospital together, but still did not disclose any details.

“When I asked what happened, they said they were coming to fetch me to go to hospital, but they wouldn’t tell me anything,” she said.

According to Mnisi, the school later claimed that Manqoba had collapsed near the school toilets.

“They said they found him collapsed near the toilet door, tried CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and checked his pulse, but he didn’t respond.”

She said the lack of information left her terrified and panicking.

When a teacher and a male driver arrived to fetch her to Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, formerly Coronation Women and Child Hospital, she said she was further alarmed by their conduct.

“When they arrived, they asked who was going to accompany me to the hospital, and then I said my dad. However, I explained to them that my dad was frail and used crutches after suffering a stroke.”

Before leaving for the hospital, Mnisi asked about the compulsory Grade R school fees.

“The man said the fees were R550. I thought I would pay them after we came back from the hospital,” she said. 

“Then he said, ‘You are no longer going to pay school fees.’ That frightened me even more.”

Manqoba had been attending the school for a few days.

“He only started that week, from Monday to Thursday. On Friday, learners were told not to come to school,” she said.

She said her son had started school late after initially being told there was no space when schools reopened in January, but he later secured a place.

At the hospital, Mnisi said they were asked to introduce themselves to staff, but no one immediately explained why they were there.

“The introduction took a long time and I got angry because they were not telling us what was happening.

She said it was only after her father asked if the child had died that they were told the truth. My father eventually asked if my child was no more,” she said. 

“That’s when they said yes.”

She said doctors had done multiple tests and told the family they could find nothing medically wrong with Manqoba.

“When I held him, he even burped, but he was very cold.”

Manqoba’s body was later moved to the Hillbrow government mortuary during the week for a postmortem examination.

On Friday, Mnisi went to a funeral parlour to begin funeral arrangements, where she was told she needed a police report.

She said repeated attempts to contact the school principal, deputy principal, and another teacher were unsuccessful. 

She later went to the Sophiatown police station to certify documents and obtain the police report.

After leaving the station, Mnisi said she received WhatsApp messages from an unknown person urging her to read them.

“That person texted me more than three times, but I didn’t check the messages. They kept saying, ‘Check my messages, did you see my messages?’ but I didn’t respond.

“The person then called and told me to check my messages. I questioned this. Then the person told me to check my messages.

“When I finally checked the message, I found out that the school lied to me.

“It said my child was locked alone inside a classroom, tried to get out through a window, got stuck and died.”

“Apparently someone was passing by and saw him stuck in the window and went inside the school to tell them that the child was stuck in the window,” she said.

Mnisi said the information has been extremely painful to process.

“It’s very painful and difficult for me to understand and actually accept what happened. I can’t even sleep at night.

“My child wasn’t even sick, he was OK, but now they can’t even tell me how my son died. I am crying each and every day. I can’t even eat,” she said through tears.

According to Mnisi, the alleged teacher who supposedly locked the Manqoba inside the classroom has since stopped reporting for duty.

“What hurts me is that they are not telling us the truth. There’s something they are hiding from us. Even though the teacher has stopped going to school, I don’t even know what to do.”

She also questioned why the school allegedly did not call police or emergency services.

“They didn’t even call anyone. They just said they checked him on their own, and later rushed him to the hospital. I believe there’s something they are hiding that happened.”

Mnisi believes her son may have been traumatised by a previous incident in which his father was shot dead during a hijacking in front of him last year.

“His father was hijacked last year in March while he was inside. He was four years old at that time. They shot and killed his father in his presence, and they threw him outside through the window.

“I remember I got stuck with a car going to Jabulani Mall due to a puncture. He said, ‘Mom, call the police, they (the hijackers) will come and shoot us and take their car.’

“So after the incident, I could see that he still had fear. He was scared of being alone. Even at home, he would follow you everywhere.”

She recalled that on the morning of his death, Manqoba was happy and excited for school.

“He even asked me to take a picture of him with his sister before leaving,” she said.

Following the incident, she withdrew her daughter, who is in Grade 3 at the same school, after learners allegedly said they witnessed Manqoba stuck in the window.

“I don’t trust anything now, because some learners said they saw what happened to my son. Even the other teacher, when we were at the hospital, kept on saying, ‘Watch the head, watch the head.’”

She described Manqoba as a quiet child.

“He was a very quiet person. He didn’t talk much, especially to people he didn’t know,” she said.

The family is now calling for justice.

“We want justice to be served, so that we can find closure.”

Meanwhile, Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane said during a media briefing on Tuesday that the department was deeply saddened by the loss of learners in two separate incidents.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the affected families, school communities and peers, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that all incidents are thoroughly investigated.”

Chiloane confirmed that Manqoba passed away after sustaining injuries on school premises.

In a separate incident, the department also noted the passing of a Grade 12 learner from Vosloorus Comprehensive Secondary School in Ekurhuleni, who allegedly fell ill during afternoon study sessions on Wednesday, February 4, between 3pm and 5pm.

“At approximately 3.20pm, the learner was reported sick in class and was immediately accompanied by the monitoring teacher to the sick bay, where she was monitored by school staff,” Chiloane said.

He said that on the morning of February 5, at approximately 7.20am, the school was informed that the learner had passed away while being transported from a medical facility to hospital.

“The department has instituted investigations into both matters, and the outcomes will be communicated in due course once all processes have been concluded,” Chiloane said.

Gauteng police confirmed to IOL News that an inquest docket has been opened at Sophiatown Police Station.

“An inquest docket has been opened at Sophiatown police station and police are investigating circumstances that led to the death of a five-year-old learner at a school in Coronationville,” said Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo.

IOL reached out to the Gauteng Department of Education regarding the allegations. Spokesperson Steve Mabona declined to comment on the allegations that the child was locked in a classroom or anything about the teacher, referring IOL to the statement. 

A memorial service for Manqoba was held at the school on Thursday, while his funeral will take place on Saturday.

In an update, Mabona said the department is in the process of finalising the appointment of a law firm to probe the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death. 

“According to information at our disposal, the incident reportedly occurred on Monday, 2 February 2026, where the learner allegedly sustained injuries on the school premises. The learner sadly passed away after being hospitalised later that day.”

Mabona said the purpose of the independent investigation is to establish the full facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.

He said the law firm will be formally introduced by Chiloane, to both the deceased learner’s family and the school on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

“We express our heartfelt condolences to the learner’s family, the school, and the community during this extremely difficult time.” Chiloane added.

Chiloane is expected to visit the family on Friday.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL News

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