Drowned boy found: Nine-year-old’s body retrieved from dam
|Published
TRAGEDY: Mbongi Hilton Esau died in this Macassar dam. Picture: Patrick Louw
The body of a Macassar boy who went missing last Thursday has been found.
Mbongi Hilton Esau, nine, was discovered on Sunday evening in the dam where he drowned, just 300 metres from his house in Smarty Town.
The Grade 4 pupil at Marvin Park Primary School was reported missing after he and a tjommie went for a swim in the dam behind the old Macassar rugby field.
His devastated mom Nadine last saw her son on Thursday and had every hope that he would be found alive.
“The information that I was given is that Hilton and his friend had gone for a swim. That makes sense to me because it was very hot.
“They both went into the dam but Hilton didn’t make it,” she explained.
“My boy could swim, he always swam at the beach and in pools.”
She says Hilton’s friend went and told his mother but she apparently didn’t believe him and didn’t report it.
An extensive search by the police and community was launched after the pal finally told Nadine where the laaities had been playing.
Hilton’s clothes were found in the vicinity but police divers failed to find his body.
Nadine says it was one of the men from the community, who lives in the same yard as Hilton’s friend, who retrieved her son from the dam on Sunday evening.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie confirmed Hilton’s body was found.
“The body of the nine-year-old boy was discovered downstream late Sunday afternoon by a member of the community who formed part of the search party,” he said.
“Macassar police opened an inquest docket for further investigation. Police management applauded the efforts by a joint search party comprising various rescue teams and the community.”
A hartseer Nadine, who has two older sons and previously lived in Strand, says Hilton was her right hand and had big dreams.
“He just started playing soccer and he so wanted to further his career. He wanted to be a goalkeeper and he was also chosen for the school's soccer team.
“I could always depend on him because my other two boys were very rebellious when we came to live here,” the ma said.