Court orders $70,000 payment for family of boy who drowned in a pit latrine

A South African court has awarded damages to the family of a five-year-old schoolboy who fell into a pit latrine and drowned in 2014.

The Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the Department of Education to pay Michael Komape's family just over 1m rand ($70,000; £53,000) for emotional shock.

The court overturned the ruling over a lower court, which dismissed the family's case against the Department of Education last year.

But it rejected the family's demand for 3m rand, ruling instead that Michael's parents should receive 350,000 rand each and his three siblings 100,000 rand each.

Human rights group Section27 fought the campaign to achieve justice for Michael's family.

His death in 2014 caused outrage in South Africa, and drew attention to the lack of proper toilets in many schools.

An estimated 4,500 schools out of a total of 25,000 have pit latrine toilets.

Michael was a student at Mahlodumela Primary School in the province of Limpopo when he went to the toilet and never returned.

The Department of Education denied responsibility for his death.