13-year-old Enock Mpianzi’s death has South Africans up in arms, and rightly so.

(His name was originally reported as ‘Enoch’, based on information provided by the education department, but the family has since clarified that it’s ‘Enock’.)

The basic disregard for his safety, and that of the other pupils on the Parktown Boys’ High School ‘orientation’ camp, is shocking to say the least, with eyewitness accounts from other pupils pointing to almost criminal neglect.

When you consider that at least four other children have drowned at Nyati Bush and River Lodge since 1999, it becomes clear that a full-blown investigation is necessary to figure out what has gone so wrong.

Carte Blanche is on the case:

Enock Mpianzi was a carefree 13-year-old boy off to enjoy a few days at the school camp. But a tragic sequence of events cut short his young life. With no life jacket and a hastily built homemade raft, Enock and a group of his classmates set out onto the Crocodile River.

The boat capsized, spilling the boys into the fast-moving rapids, but they managed to get themselves to safety. Once back onshore, precious hours went by before someone noticed that Enock was missing. Carte Blanche investigates how this campsite activity turned deadly.

Heads must, and have, rolled, with Parktown Boys’ High School principal Malcolm Williams being suspended, but that should just be the start.

Here’s what Carte Blanche found during their investigation:

Enock was laid to rest yesterday.

[source:carteblanche]