Chatty Secondary School Mourns Grade 12 Learner Duwayne Thomas in Gqeberha

• Duwayne Thomas, a Grade 12 learner at Chatty Secondary School in Gqeberha, passed away and left a community in mourning
• Teachers and fellow matriculants remembered Duwayne as a valued member of the school family whose bonds ran deep
• The school released a bereavement notice urging the grieving community to lean on one another for strength

Chatty Secondary School in Gqeberha is grieving the loss of one of its own. Duwayne Thomas, a Grade 12 learner, passed away recently. The circumstances surrounding his death have not been made public.

The loss has rippled through every corner of the school community. Those who shared classrooms with Duwayne, as well as the teachers who guided him through his matric year, have described a young man whose presence meant more than words can easily capture. He was not just a learner filling a seat; he was a friend, a familiar face in the corridor, a part of what made the school feel like a community.

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A school and family left with a void

In a bereavement notice shared with the school community, Chatty Secondary School extended its condolences to Duwayne's family and those closest to him. The school encouraged everyone affected to draw on one another for comfort, acknowledging that grief of this kind is not something anyone should carry alone.

Though his time at the school was cut short, the notice made clear that his memory and the relationships he built will remain part of the school's story long after his passing.

Learner deaths cast shadow over SA

Duwayne's death comes at a time when South African schools have endured a painful year. In January, 13 learners were killed in a head-on collision between a private minibus and a truck in Vanderbijlpark. By mid-year, 43 young initiates, many of them school-aged, died during the winter initiation season across provinces including Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape. In August, further isolated tragedies struck communities in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

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For the Chatty Secondary School community, the focus now remains on coming together and holding space for those who knew and loved Duwayne Thomas.

See the Facebook post here.

More tragic deaths in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on the death of Boland rugby player Jay-Dee Gouws, who collapsed during a club match in the Western Cape at the age of 28.
• Anti-GBV organisation Women For Change condemned the death of 17-year-old Cameron Waldeck-Cooks as femicide, after he was found dead at a Sabie lodge during Women's Month.
• Former Springbok hooker Piston van Wyk passed away at the age of 83, following a 15-Test career that spanned tours against the All Blacks and British & Irish Lions.

Source: Briefly News