A two-year-old boy, Kganya Mokhele, lost his life at Little Ashford Preschool(creche) in Senderwood, near Bedfordview, Johannesburg in South Africa. The death occurred after a shelf containing toys collapsed on him. The incident occurred at approximately 11:00 on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, the toddler was in the classroom with his friends, the principal, and two teachers when the shelf fell. Masondo further stated that the child was rushed to a local medical centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Kganya’s grandfather, Sipho Radebe, has accused the preschool of attempting to “cover-up” the death of his grandson. The family only learned of the incident an hour after it had occurred. Radebe further alleges that the school refused them access to the CCTV footage of the incident.
On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, blood spatters were still visible close to the grey shelf in the classroom. A trail of blood spatters led to an empty second classroom, where a vast pool of blood was left behind. Blood spatters were also found on the staircase leading to the classrooms.
The CEO of the Little Ashford Group, Cedric Ntumba, stated that they are deeply saddened by the incident and will try to find out what happened and whether the correct procedures were followed. The Gauteng MEC, Matome Chiloane, stated that they will launch their investigation into the incident.
