Investigation launched into five-year-old’s playground injury at Tshwane school

Health-e News Investigation launched into five-year-old’s playground injury at Tshwane school The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is investigating a case after a five-year-old Grade R learner was injured at a Tshwane primary school and later required surgery.

Katlego Setshedi was injured while playing on a metal swing at Nchuncheko Primary School in Soshanguve during lunch break on Monday, 24 August.

Her mother, Tsholofelo Setshedi says Katlego told the family she had been injured by a loose screw on the swing during school break around 11am.

Setshedi says the school did not administer any first aid or informed her about the incident.

According to Setshedi her daughter attended class for the rest of the day until school ended.

She says her daughter then walked home after school despite her injuries.

The school is situated about a kilometre from Block X Clinic, within walking distance.

Five-year-old arrives home with vaginal bleeding Setshedi says her daughter arrived home with significant vaginal bleeding and had not received medical attention at school.

Health-e News saw photographs taken shortly after Katlego arrived home, which confirmed the extent of the bleeding.

“When she arrived, I got the shock of my life.

I almost had a heart attack from the amount of blood that was flooding out,” Setshed says.

Setshedi says initially feared her daughter had been sexually assaulted.

She rushed her daughter to Soshanguve Clinic 2 where a doctor told her the injuries were caused by a sharp object with no indication of sexual abuse.

“She bled so heavily that we had to change four sanitary pads before she was transferred to hospital,” she says.