Pretoria - The Mamelodi families whose children drowned fatally in a construction quarry have made their submissions to independent investigators tasked by the government to find the truth behind the incident.
MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo appointed senior council to investigate the fatal drowning.
It was said the investigation would uncover the identities of those who must carry the blame for the deaths of Siyabonga Mabela, 7, and Tony Tshweu, 4, who died trying to swim in an unfenced quarry.
Mamabolo said investigations were necessary and crucial to uncover the truth about what transpired that day, and to know whether or not the government and/or the contractor and its subcontractors could be blamed, given the public outrage about the incident.
The families met with Thomas Bokaba who has been appointed by Mamabolo on Thursday, while EFF and ANC councillors questioned MMC for Roads and Transport Dikeledi Selowa about the incident and the status of the construction project during the Thursday council meeting.
They were represented by the director of Huntley Attorneys, Wendel Bloem who was appointed by president of Action SA, Herman Mashaba, to represent the families and help them launch a civil and criminal lawsuit against the City of Tshwane, the provincial Department of Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure and King Civil Engineering Contractors who have been carrying out the project in Skierlik Mountain View informal for three years.
Deon Moore, who speaks for the Tshweu family, said: "The two families met the investigators and made their submissions about what transpired that day. We hope that investigations go well and we find the truth because we believe whoever was carrying out that work should have fenced the quarry as per health and safety requirements of doing any construction work. Both the families want compensation for this."
MMC Selowa told councillors in chambers that there were measures being put in place to ensure that the construction would continue.
She said: "It would have not been fair for us to continue with construction while people are burying their children, and of course in terms of the contractors' break that takes place between January and December, that does delay."
MMC Selowa said incidents where families have lost their beloved children in unfortunate circumstances must not be politicised.
She added: "I must say this in council that through the office of the chief operations officer, that all our contractors were put under terms to actually ensure that they secure their sites and we do not have such unfortunate
incidents taking place in the City again."
Mamabolo told Pretoria News that at the moment, nothing should pre-empt the report that will be released and shared with the families once all investigations are done.
Pretoria News