[LISTEN] Hoërskool Driehoek principal says tragedy couldn't have been prevented

4 February 2019 8:13 AM

Over the weekend a fourth Hoërskool Driehoek pupil succumbed to injuries sustained after a bridge collapse at the 45-year-old school in Vanderbijlpark on Friday.

A number of the school's pupils remain in critical condition.

Questions have been raised about whether this tragedy could have been prevented.

Read: Temp closure of Hoërskool Driehoek, 3 pupils die in walkway collapse The principal at Hoërskool Driehoek, Hein Knoetze says the walkway that collapsed was situated between the administration block and one of the classrooms. No one could have foreseen this, he adds.

Knoetze denied that some pupils had already flagged that that walkway 'was shaky' last Wednesday.

We know nothing about that. Even if it is true, how would those children feel now, knowing that they didn't report that the walkway was shaky? No report was made about that.
— Hein Knoetze, Principal - Hoërskool Driehoek

He adds that even though the school is old, it has spent close to a million rands on maintenance and infrastructure.

We look at everything and look for problems and if there are problems, we rectify them.
— Hein Knoetze, Principal - Hoërskool Driehoek

Knoetze is adamant that this tragedy could not have been prevented and they are in a process of providing councilling for the teachers and pupils.

Listen below to the full interview:

Written by: Matshepo Sehloho

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