The fourth child in just under a year has drowned in a sewer pit in Matjhabeng.
In the latest incident, an eleven-year-old boy drowned at a construction site in the K5 Section of Kutlwanong, Odendaalsrus.
On Saturday, 2 August, Odendaalsrus police were summoned to a drowning scene at Kutlwanong. They were informed that three boys aged between 10 and 11 were swimming in an excavation pit filled with wastewater. “It is alleged that the boys became stuck in the mud. Two of the boys, aged 10, managed to get out, whilst the 11-year-old victim became stuck in the mud and ultimately drowned,” says Sgt Palesa Thabana of the Lejweleputswa SAPS.
The Welkom SAPS diving unit, under the command of Sgt Arno Cronje, was called to the scene. “Together with Matjhabeng Fire Department, members retrieved the body of the deceased from the wastewater pit on Saturday evening at approximately 20:20,” she says.
The 11-year-old victim was declared dead at the scene by emergency services personnel. The deceased was identified by his next of kin.
She says parents are urged to educate their children about water safety and the risks of swimming in contaminated water.
On 10 November 2023, two children aged 10 and 11 drowned in a construction pit in Thabong, and then 14 days later another tragic drowning claimed the life of a 14-year-old in Meloding. He also drowned in a sewage pit.
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