St Stithians Student Cameron Waldeck-Cook’s Smiling Video Resurfaces After Tragic Death
- A video of Cameron Waldeck-Cooks describing her student exchange trip to the US resurfaced after her death made national headlines
- The St Stithians learner was found dead alongside her boyfriend Ethan Coetzee at a Mpumalanga lodge in what is believed to be a murder-suicide
- South Africans flooded the comments section on social media to mourn a teenager they described as having a bright future ahead of her
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A video of Cameron Waldeck-Cooks cheerfully recounting her student exchange experience in the United States has gone viral on social media, weeks after the teenager's death shocked the country.
The 17-year-old St Stithians Girls College learner and her boyfriend, Ethan Coetzee, a former matriculant, were found dead at a lodge near the Sabie game reserve in Mpumalanga approximately a week ago. Authorities believe the deaths are the result of a murder-suicide.
Cameron's exchange pogramme video
In the resurfaced clip, Cameron speaks warmly about time she spent as an exchange student at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia.
She described feeling "safe and welcomed" during her stay and highlighted the experience of driving with her American peers as a favourite memory, noting that the legal driving age in the United States is 16. She also spoke fondly of attending football matches and spending time socialising with friends.
"It feels like I'm in the movies," she said in the clip.
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The video drew an outpouring of grief from South Africans in the comments section, many of whom mourned a young woman they said had her life "cut short" and possessed a "bright future."
Two young lives cut short
Beyond the viral clip, tributes to both teenagers have painted a picture of two high-achieving young people with considerable futures ahead of them.
At the time of her death, Cameron was a Grade 11 learner working towards the Gold level of The President's Award for Youth Empowerment, which forms part of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. She had recently completed a five-day hiking expedition in pursuit of that goal. She was also an active member of the rowing and netball clubs and was remembered by those who knew her as a "natural leader" and a "big sister" to those around her.
Ethan Coetzee, who matriculated in 2025, had been part of the first team rugby club at his school and was a national champion in the equestrian discipline of Eventing. He was also recognised as a respected senior student at Penryn House.
The double tragedy has left both schools and the broader South African public grappling with the loss of two teenagers who were, by all accounts, deeply invested in building remarkable lives.
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Source: Briefly News
