Kimberley - A two-year-old toddler died after a heavy steel gate fell on him at the police housing complex in Hull Street.
Boitumelo “Junior” Mothobi, who was named after his father, was playing with two of his friends when the incident took place on Monday evening.
It is believed that he sustained head injuries as well as internal bleeding.
A number of neighbours struggled to lift the heavy gate, with the two other children narrowly escaping serious injury.
Residents indicated that the toddler’s death was due to negligence, as they had reported the faulty gate on several occasions.
“This was the second time that it had fallen off the rails. We had to manually push and pull the gate open after the remote stopped working. We had no idea that something like this was about to happen. It has been out of order for about three months already.”
Petra Bosman said she was sitting outside her house with other parents while the children were playing in front of the gate, when it came crashing down on the three small children.
“We had no idea that it was so unstable. By the time we rushed to Junior, it appeared as if he had already stopped breathing. I noticed some blood on his head.”
Lesego Masilo added that her seven-year-old daughter, who was playing with Mothobi, had escaped with a swollen and bruised arm.
“She was very shocked when it happened and was crying. The doctor advised us not to tell her yet of the terrible tragedy because it will be too traumatic for her. My daughter is very lucky to be alive. Thankfully her arm was not broken in the process.”
Police spokesman, Lieutenant Sergio Kock, said that the Kimberley Police had opened an inquest into Mothobi’s death.
“It is alleged that a gate fell on the toddler while playing inside a yard in Hull Street, Kimberley. The incident occurred on at approximately 7.51pm on Monday. The victim was taken to hospital for medical treatment and succumbed to his injuries minutes later,” said Kock.
Anyone with information regarding the incident can call Detective Warrant Officer Desmond Markgraaf at 082 302 0407 or SMS 32211.
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