HIGH TEMPERATURES KILL TEACHER

TSHANENI – Temperatures dropped this past week, but for Vuvulane High School, the impact of extremely high temperatures left a deep scar.

In a tragic incident that occurred over a week ago, a teacher collapsed and died at a school in Eswatini, allegedly due to the extreme heat.
The deceased teacher, identified as Sabelo Malambe, was approximately 52 years old at the time of his passing. The unfortunate incident took place amid a high-temperature alert issued by the Eswatini Meteorological Services, as communicated by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).

The warning, which spanned from November 22 to 26, 2023, highlighted the potential risks posed to human health and the environment.
The forecasted temperatures during this period were expected to reach as high as 37°C to 41°C in the Lubombo region, 34°C to 38°C in the Hhohho and Manzini regions, and 32°C to 36°C in the Shiselweni region. According to Mambe’s wife, he appeared to be in good health when he left their residence.

Collapsed

However, Malambo collapsed while at school, and the sweltering temperatures were cited as the primary cause of his collapse in the autopsy results she added. Mambe’s wife also mentioned that he had pre-existing health conditions. The  autopsy, was conducted to determine the exact cause and manner of his passing. This medical procedure involves a thorough examination of the deceased person’s body, including internal organs and structures, to gather crucial information about the cause of death.

The news of Mambe’s untimely demise, has left not only his wife devastated, but also fellow teachers and pupils at the school. They expressed deep concern over the recorded high temperatures and the potential risks they pose to individuals’ well-being. The incident has been particularly traumatic for the school community, as it occurred during school hours. Upon Malambe’s collapse, the authorities were immediately notified, and the police were called to the scene. He was swiftly transported to the nearest health facility, where medical professionals pronounced him dead.

Meanwhile, this is the second traumatising incident for the pupils of Tshaneni. This publication had also reported on November 18, 2023, that a bus conductor was stabbed to death by a kombi driver. It reported at the time that a confrontation is said to have ensued between the duo, resulting in the conductor being stabbed. The incident was said to have happened in full view of pupils, who were mainly pupils from Vuvulane High School. The incident was said to have left the pupils traumatised.

Death

Malambe’s death is also said to have been reported to the Tshaneni Police Station. The Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati had confirmed the sudden death of Malambe over a week ago when the incident had happened. Meanwhile, high temperatures are not only affecting the kingdom but also the neighbouring South Africa (SA). The scorching heat was reported to be the highest ever recorded with some experts linking this to global warming.

The Times of Eswatini also recently reported that a heatwave will affect South Africa (SA) but fortunately, the kingdom will not be affected despite that many weather patterns that occur in SA do affect Eswatini. The Head teacher of Vuvulane High School, Thulani Manyatsi, when sought for comment on the matter stated that he was not in a position to do as it was best for the family to comment. He also said he was not privy to the results of the post-mortem.

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