Nowhere for children to play - dad

INLSA

TRIBUTE: The Eastlands, from left, father George, Wayne, mother Liesel and Lee-Anne, throw flowers in the Elsieskraal River, where Dale, seven, the youngest in the family, was swept away last week. Dales body was found on Friday. Photo: Leon Knipe

Staff Writers

THE heartbroken father of seven-year-old Dale Eastland – who drowned in the Elsieskraal River last week – says his son would be alive if he had been allowed to play at the complex where the family live.

George Eastland said his son, a Grade 2 pupil, had gone to play in the river because children were not allowed to play at the First on Forest flats complex in Thornton where they live.

“There is nowhere for our children to play. Our children are not allowed to play in the complex here. Security guards confiscated balls they play with and they are constantly told to go inside their homes,” Eastland said.

He would have to use the R4 200 intended for his rent to pay for the funeral, he added.

“If my son and his friend had a decent playing space and the freedom to play they would not have had any reason to go and play outside. Most of the tenants have children and they have nowhere to play.”

DIED: Dale Eastland

Attempts to contact Farelli Holdings, the owners of the flats, failed.

Dale’s mother, Liesel, had sought to have the river closed off to prevent children playing there.

“More children will drown in the river if it is not enclosed, because this is an urban area where many families have children. We need to do our best to keep our children safe because they can’t always do it themselves,” she said.

A week before Dale drowned he asked his father when he was going to die.

“I was caught off-guard, but I explained to him that God has a time for everyone in the world, not knowing that he would die soon. He understood what I had told him,” said Eastland.

When security guards told him his son had been swept away by the river, he ran outside screaming for help.

“I ran outside the house not knowing what to do. I went to the river and one of vendors told me that my son went with the water face down.

“I asked the man why he did not try to save my son and he told me that he could not leave his stall behind.

“I would have bought that man a new stall. I do not blame him for what happened, but he could have at least tried.”

Emergency services spokeswoman Keri Davids said a team of 10 EMS and SAPS divers found Dale’s body at the confluence of the Elisieskraal and Black rivers near the N2 in Athlone on Friday morning.

jason.felix@inl.co.za