Police officers by a river The body of an 11-year-old boy was retrieved from a river in a Limpopo village after he drowned while crossing with his two siblings. File Picture: Henk Kruger/ Independent Newspapers
Police in Seshego, Limpopo, are probing an inquest docket following a drowning incident that occurred at Sengatane village outside Polokwane.
A boy aged 11 lost his life while crossing a water stream with his siblings on Sunday, according to provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
“According to the information, three siblings, aged three, 11, and 13, were walking between Sengatane and Jerusalem villages, crossing a water stream unattended.
“It is alleged that an 11-year-old boy suddenly experienced some difficulties in the water and, as a result, drowned,” said Ledwaba.
The 13-year-old sibling went back home to report the incident to the elders.
Upon arrival at the scene, the elders found the body of the deceased 11-year-old boy floating in the river.
“They managed to retrieve the body from the water, and the victim was certified dead on the scene by the paramedics,” said Ledwaba.
This is the second incident of drowning in the policing area of Seshego in less than a week.
“This follows hard on the heels of the Makgodu incident, in which two youth drowned while they were swimming,” said Ledwaba.
Meanwhile, acting provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, has called on parents and guardians across the province to “take extra care and be cautious for the safety of their children to avoid these unintended consequences”.
Police said the circumstances surrounding the drowning incident are being investigated, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of the 11-year-old boy’s death.
Last week, IOL reported that two boys, aged 12 and 13-years-old, were swimming alongside three other boys when they “suddenly” drowned in the river at Makgodu village in Limpopo.
The drowning happened at around 3pm on Monday.
“It is alleged that in the process of swimming, there was lighting that struck, and the two boys drowned,” said Ledwaba at the time.
IOL