Zimbabwe News Update

🇿🇼 Published: 19 February 2026
📘 Source: The Sowetan

The family of a 10-year-old boy who died after allegedly being struck by a soccer goalpost atschoolis demanding answers, saying they still do not know exactly what happened to their child. Distraught father Paulos Mogakwesaid they had pleaded with the principal to at least show them who their son had been playing with at the time of the incident, how many children were there, and who had witnessed what happened. Malton Neo Mokgoatsane was allegedly struck by a goalpost during lunchtime on Monday at Reagile Primary School in Tembisa.

“The only explanation we are being given is that he was swinging on the pole and that is how he got hurt. But we are trying to find out what really happened to our son. What exactly happened to him,” Mogakwe asked.

“We have tried countless times to get closure. We have repeatedly asked the principal what happened to our child, but we still don’t know.” Neo Mokgoatsane’s parents Paulos Mogakwe and Promise Mokgoatsane they had pleaded with Reagile primary school principal to show them who their son had been playing with when a goalpost fell on him, killing him instantly.Video Veli Nhlapopic.twitter.com/AO0ezpxtzk Yesterday, Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane visited the family to offer condolences and announced that an independent investigation had been launched. “We are here to send our deepest and sincere condolences to the family.

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We are also here to share in their pain and communicate the steps we are taking to ensure they find closure.” He confirmed that while police were conducting their own investigation, the department had appointed an independent law firm to conduct a parallel probe. “The law firm is independent from both the school and the department to ensure there is no perception that people are covering for each other. They will investigate what led to the incident, what happened afterward, and determine accountability.” Chiloane added that the law firm would be introduced to both the family and the school and that a full report was expected within two weeks.

The family is questioning whether the tragedy was caused by poorly maintained school infrastructure, negligence, or whether there may be more to the story. “We just want to know, could it be that the school was not properly maintained? Did the school act fast enough before rushing to collect his mother?

Why wasn’t he transported to the clinic immediately,” Mogakwe asked. According to the boy’s mother, Promise Mokgoatsane, she had signed consent forms at the beginning of the school year allowing the school to seek medical assistance for their child in case of an emergency. “I gave them consent to take my child to the hospital or call an ambulance if anything happened.

The clinic is just a street away from the school. Why was it so difficult to take him there? I live far from the clinic, but they are closer.

If they had acted fast, maybe my son could have been saved.” Mokgoatsane said she had only been informed about the incident at about 1.20pm — more than an hour after it allegedly happened at 12pm. At the family home, she sat quietly with folded arms, her eyes filled with tears, appearing numb and struggling to accept the loss.

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📰 Article Attribution
Originally published by The Sowetan • February 19, 2026

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