The Gauteng Department of Education has announced the funeral dates of three of the four children who perished in the structural collapse on Friday at Hoërskool Driehoek in Vanderbjlpark.

On Friday, News24 reported that a concrete slab above a corridor linking two blocks of buildings had come crashing down on 26 learners at the Vanderbijlpark-based school.

The incident happened a few minutes after 08:00, when learners were heading to their classrooms from the morning assembly.

Roydon Olckers, Jandré Steyn and Marli Currie lost their lives in the tragedy on the scene.

On Sunday, a fourth pupil, Marnus Nagel, succumbed to his injuries.

Department spokesperson Steve Mabona announced the funeral arrangements for three of the four pupils on Tuesday morning.

Olckers will be buried on Friday at 15:00 at the Derde Kruis congregation on the corner of Piet Retief Boulevard and Prinsloo Street in Vanderbijlpark.

A memorial service for Currie will be held at the NG south congregation at 1 Schoeman Street at 11:00 on Friday.

Steyn’s funeral will be held at the River of Life Church at 22 Elliot Street in Vanderbijlpark on Thursday at 11:00.

Funeral arrangements for Nagel have not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, the Gauteng Department of Education has confirmed that matric pupils will be allowed to return to Hoërskool Driehoek and resume their 2019 academic programme on Wednesday.

Classes to resume

“Grade 12 classes will resume on Wednesday, Grade 11s will then return on Thursday and other grades will be accommodated from Monday with temporary structures,” Mabona said outside the school on Monday.

The school had their own appointed engineers look at the building on Sunday. The team of engineers declared the administration block, as well as six classrooms on the ground level, as safe to occupy, Mabona told News24.

The Department of Labour had since approved this assessment.

“The Department of Labour gave the approval to utilise the admin block, hall, gymnasium and a block of classes on the lower level,” Mabona said.

Learners and parents were still making their way into the school for trauma counselling.

“The focal point right now is counselling, we encourage parents to please bring their children for trauma counselling,” he said.

Twenty pupils remain in hospital due to the serious nature of their injuries.

“If you look at the pupil who passed away on Saturday, he had been in theatre more than four times before he passed away.

“We are hopeful, but we don’t know what could happen,” Mabona concluded.

[source: News24]