- A Gauteng teacher died a day after school reopened for the 2023 academic year.
- According to the school's head of department, 40-year-old Cherani van der Westhuizen died on Thursday after a suspected asthma attack.
- She was a Grade R teacher at Laerskool Roodekrans in Roodepoort.
A week before school reopened, Laerskool Roodekrans teacher Cherani van der Westhuizen, and her peers made videos talking about how they were excited about the new academic year and meeting their new pupils.
"Welcome back from the holidays. Are you ready for 2023? I am teacher Cherani van der Westhuizen from the Bunny Class. We are extremely excited to have you back," she said in a video posted on the Roodepoort school's Facebook page.
However, Van der Westhuizen died a day after schools reopened from a suspected asthma attack, leaving her colleagues shattered.
The 40-year-old had been a Grade R teacher at the school for the past eight years.
The school's head of department, Antoinette Rousseau said Van der Westhuizen had a lot planned for the year ahead as the new grade head.
"She had a lot of plans. Days before, we had a meeting as teachers, and the whole time she told us how excited she was with the year to come and had a lot of plans.
"Even when I was speaking to her daughter, she said, 'mommy was so excited for this year'. It's so sad that she won't get to carry out her plans," Rousseau added.
According to her, while Van der Westhuizen was not sick, she had asthma but managed it.
Rousseau said her death came after she suffered a severe asthma attack.
She added the news came as a shock when Van der Westhuizen's mother reached out to the school.
"Her mother was the one who called to tell us of her passing, and it was a great shock, mainly because we had a parents' meeting the evening before.
"We talked to her, and everything was fine. The next morning, her mother called to tell us about her passing. It was a great shock. She will be dearly missed by all of us."
Rousseau said:She added Van der Westhuizen would be remembered for being a kind and loving person who had a passion for teaching Grade R pupils.
News24 reached out to Van der Westhuizen's family, but the calls went unanswered.
The Gauteng Department of Education had not responded at the time of publication, and its comment will be added once received.