Body of boy retrieved from dam after suspected drowning

Cape Town - The body of a young boy suspected to have drowned in a dam in the Covid-19 informal settlement near Driftsands, Mfuleni, was discovered on Tuesday.

The young boy was said to be swimming with his friends when he drowned. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said Mfuleni police had registered an inquest for further investigation

“Mfuleni police responded to a complaint on Tuesday, September 20. Upon arrival at a local dam near to Covid-19 informal settlement, they spotted the body of a child in the water. Police members of the SAPS provincial diving unit assisted in retrieving the body of the young boy from the water. The victim was declared deceased at the scene by the medical personnel,” said Swartbooi.

Mfuleni Community Policing Forum (CPF) secretary Bongani Tyembile said residents would try to raise money to build a wall or fence around the water.

“There is a river running by those informal structures and it is the same river where people who are being killed are dumped at. My question is, why would parents let children swim or play next to the same river that they know dead people are dumped at?

“The police swiftly responded to the incident and that is why the child's body was quickly retrieved. Should they have delayed, this was going to be another story because the river is too deep, but you won't notice until you get inside.

“Especially on short holidays, we will have many drownings, that is why we need to build a fence or wall," said Tyembile.

Cape Times