Enoch Mpianzi’s parents had to borrow the R800 it cost to send him to the Parktown Boys’ High School orientation camp where he lost his life, but could not afford a life jacket, Sunday Times reported.

But his mother Antho Mpianzi and his father Guy Intamba were not too worried because he had reportedly learnt to swim in a pool.

“A life jacket was required from the parents. We didn’t have money for that. It was for them [school staff and organisers] to decide if he could participate, because it is them who took them to the site,” Enoch’s uncle, Sebastien Kodie Motha, told Sunday Times.

“We did not imagine that it is a natural stream. We thought it was a swimming pool where you have different water levels.”

The publication quoted public interest lawyer Richard Spoor as saying the failure of the school and the lodge to provide life jackets – and telling families to provide their own – bordered on the “absurd”.

Nyati Bush and Riverbreak, the venue of the orientation camp, has photographs on its website of children wearing orange life jackets, but it is not known whether the lodge provides them to clients.

Mpianzi was last seen on Wednesday when a makeshift raft he and other boys were on, overturned on the Crocodile River.

The Grade 8 group arrived at the lodge on Wednesday and took part in a “water activity” that involved building their own rafts, according to North West police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh. The pupils were divided into groups of between five and six and took to the water on their self-built rafts.

“It appears there was a very strong current following recent heavy rain in the area. From what we understand, a number of boys fell from the raft and scrambled to get back on to it again. That was the last time [Enoch] was seen.”

Another pupil who was seated next to him on the bus reported Mzianzi missing on Thursday.

People-centred and focused on erasing corruption, Herman Mashaba wants to build an organisation that is driven by civil society and free of political self-interest.

The cat is finally out of the bag, with former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba this week confirming to City Press that he will be forming a new political party whose official launch “will be announced at the end of June”.

Mashaba, who put to bed months of speculation about whether or not he and former DA leader Mmusi Maimane would be forming a political party after their unceremonious departure from the DA last year, was adamant that the party would be ready to contest the upcoming 2021 municipal elections.

The former mayor, however, refused to comment on whether Maimane and former ANC MP Makhosi Khoza, who have been involved in his people’s dialogues, would play any role in the new party.

“What I can confirm right now is that a new political formation will be announced by June at the latest. A political party will definitely be formed and we are definitely going to participate in the 2021 local government elections,” he said.

According to Mashaba, what will “set this party apart from the rest” is that he is looking at forming a “people-driven political party” that will be “free from the constraints of political ideology and political self-interest”.

“This party is a party that is going to be driven by civil society.

“Any South African wanting to join the party will be screened, more so those who are already politicians.

“I can assure you that for existing politicians to form part of the party, they will be vetted and the vetting system will be tight to make sure that we do not allow people who are going to compromise us.”

“They [politicians who want to jump ship and join his party] will have to pass through the eye of the needle. We are not going to accept people who are going to be paid to serve their own interests instead of those of society,” Mashaba told City Press.

Former DA federal chairperson Athol Trollip, who resigned alongside Maimane last year, said although he was of the view that “there is no need for more political parties” in the country’s already congested political landscape, he thought the fact that Mashaba was going back to the ordinary people and taking a mandate from them was a noble and much-needed change in direction from where politics has been headed lately.

“Political parties have become arrogant and have forgotten that they serve ordinary citizens and not the other way around, so I think what Mashaba is doing is right.

“It is good that he is listening to the South African people, that’s what effective leadership entails. Politicians need to do more listening than talking,” said Trollip.

Mashaba launched the People’s Dialogue days after he quit the DA and his mayoral position in an apparent protest against the election of former Western Cape premier Helen Zille as DA federal council chairperson in October last year.

SA Express says it would oppose an application by a former supplier to have it placed under business rescue.

On Friday Daily Maverick reported that Ziegler SA – a transport and logistics service provider – lodged an urgent application at the Johannesburg High Court as a means to recover about R11.3m in debt the state-owned airline allegedly owes it.

In an emailed response to Fin24, SA Express spokesperson Mpho Majatladi said she had not yet received notice of a court application to have the airline placed under business rescue.

Fin24 reached out to Ziegler SA for comment via email, but has not yet received a response.

Majatladi said that if a court application was indeed made by Ziegler SA, then it may be “under malicious intent” as the supplier had been identified as “one who seeks benefits from irregular contracting”.

“This supplier is one of many who are currently under internal review for serious abuse of the procurement system, unfair pricing and overcharging,” Majatladi said.

According to Majatladi, suppliers who obtained their contracts legitimately worked with the airline to ensure payments are reasonable for both parties. However those with “dubious contracts” were constantly trying to “bulldoze” to get their way before the conclusion of irregular contract investigations.

“Actions like these, from such suppliers also undermine the efforts made by SA Express to recover and rebuild governance within the business that has been crushed by corruption, as well as the reputation that the airline is working tirelessly to rebuild,” she said.

A KwaZulu-Natal school was forced to shut its doors for three days after a black mamba took residence in one of the classrooms
Image: Tyrone Ping
A slithery “pupil” did not make any friends on the first day of school on Wednesday, instead prompting the principal to call the police.

A black mamba caused such a panic that pupils from Olwasini Junior Primary School in Amahlongwa on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast were sent home when it was discovered that the snake had taken residence in one of the classrooms.

The school’s principal, Mpume Mvubu, explained that staff had noticed the presence of the two-metre black mamba on the roof of the school.

“We called the police and Crocworld Conservation Centre to rescue us! On the third day, they broke the wall, and the snake was hiding deep inside. I’ve never experienced this. It was a crisis for the school — this is a fast snake and very dangerous.”Herpetologists from Crocworld Conservation Centre in Scottburgh together with police were called out to rescue the school’s newest classmate but the snake’s chosen hiding spot made for a challenging rescue, resulting in success three days later.

“The school staff identified the snake and contacted us to retrieve it, but it took three days before we were finally able to get hold of the snake. We went on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday from midmorning and then again on Friday.

“The snake was hiding in the actual brickwork near the ceiling, inside the wall. It would be spotted but we couldn’t find the hole it was getting in through. On Friday, the school staff saw it and were able to keep an eye on it while we were called to attend,” said Crocworld conservation manager Martin Rodrigues.

The delicate retrieval of the snake meant that the Crocworld members had to break through part of the wall without harming the snake.

However, Rodrigues said once access was finally made, the snake rescue was fairly straightforward.

He said because of the danger posed by the black mamba, the school pupils were kept away from class for the duration of the snake capture

“It’s important to remember that snake captures are done by professionals. You need to know what you’re doing, use the right equipment and understand the behaviour of the animal — especially with a snake like a black mamba.”

“Thanks to the efforts by the staff and members of SAPS, we were able to successfully remove the snake unharmed. It is about to shed its skin, so we will feed it and keep it until then, before releasing it into a secure location, away from human habitation.”

Parktown Boys’ High pupil Enoch Mpianzi died during a school camp in Brits in the North West on Wednesday.
Image: Supplied
Parktown Boys’ High School issued a statement on Friday evening about the death of a grade 8 pupil during a school orientation camp.

Here is the statement in full:

The Parktown Boys’ High School Grade 8 Orientation Camp took place at Nyathi Bush and River Break in the North West Province. The Grade 8 group arrived at camp on Wednesday the 15th of January. The camp is aimed at introducing new Parktonians to each other and creating an environment which focuses on team work and the achieving of common goals through various activities offered at the camp.

The school’s Headboy, Deputy Headboy and SEC members along with seven staff members were also present on the camp along with the Headmaster, Malcolm Williams and a Senior Child Development and Protection Consultant, Luke Lamprecht.

In the afternoon the boys were involved in a water activity that was supervised by trained camp facilitators. After the activity there was a hike and supper, followed by a sleep out in the veld.

Late on Thursday morning, it became apparent that a boy had gone missing from the camp. Internal emergency procedures were immediately instituted by camp management, staff and members of the community. The Headmaster contacted the father to alert him to staff concerns.

At 3:20pm the Headmaster again contacted the father to confirm that all efforts to locate Enock had failed and shortly thereafter transport was arranged to take the family to the venue. Two trained counsellors from the school accompanied the family.

By this time the SAPS Emergency Services had already been called, including the Search and Rescue unit who at the point assumed control of the search.

On Thursday evening the decision was made to curtail all camp activities for the Friday and return the boys to school following breakfast and a briefing by the Headmaster and the Senior Child Development and Protection Consultant.

At 11am on Friday the school was informed of the tragic news that the body of Enock Mpianzi had been found by SAPS Search and Rescue personnel.

The Staff, Learners, SGB, and the Parktonian Alumni express their deepest sympathy to the Mpianzi family following this tragic loss. The school community remains in a state of shock and counselling support has been implemented. The Alumni of the school have committed to support the family where possible.

Further details will be communicated once more information becomes available.