In a heart-wrenching tragedy, a little boy’s life was cut short after he fell into a large pool of stagnant flood water and drowned.
One-year-old Sinoxolo Sethi was with his mom Ntombi at their Phumla-Mqashi (Green Park) informal settlement home in Covid, Mfuleni last Friday, when he wandered off.
The devastated woman says she was about to give her child a haircut when she was interrupted by her neighbour.
The hartseer mom explains: “It was around 4pm when I decided to cut his hair, but my neighbour asked me about her key and I went to show her and told her that I didn’t have it.
“When I went back home, he wasn’t there, I searched for him, I went into the bushes shouting his name and there was no response.
“I went back to my neighbour and told her my baby was missing and she thought I was joking and said I must go look for him.”
The mother says she searched for her son for three hours before his lifeless body was found in the water at 7pm, less than 50 metres from their home.
Ntombi adds: “I had gone to the committee members and reported the case, and we went back to my area where the plan was to call him over the megaphone, but then one of the neighbours told me a child had been found.
“He told me that he was dead in the water. I ran to the scene and saw that he really drowned.”
Ntombi suspects her son had walked to visit some older kids who live near their home.
She adds: “I didn’t think of checking for him there because the older children were not at home that time.”
Community leader Luthando Mcuntula says the dam was caused by flood water.
Mcuntula explains: “This is one of the worst flooded areas in Covid. It has been like this since July.
“I arranged for a digger loader to come and open a trench so the water could flow into the river.
“On Wednesday, I asked the councillor to come and see the mother of the deceased and also see how he could help since the family has no burial money. The mom isn’t working.”
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg says Mfuleni police registered an inquest for investigation.
Twigg confirms: “The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za