The families of the two children who drowned in a quarry at a road construction site in Mamelodi are demanding action against those who failed to fence off the site.
Tony Lawrence Moore, 4, and Siyabonga Mabila, 7, died on Saturday in the quarry at Skierlik Mountain View informal settlement. The quarry is along the K54 road and forms part of the N4 highway extension project.
The two boys have joined a growing list of children who lost their lives by drowning in the rivers or falling into uncovered manholes and construction sites across the country. At least 12 of the deceased died in Tshwane alone, between January 2012 and February 2021.
They include Pontso Kwenaite (13) and Lungani Hobyane (13) who drowned at Pienaarspoort, Mamelodi East, in August 2020; Kutlwano Mkhwanazi (9), Tshepo Machethe (10) and Samuel Maphoso (10) who fell into uncovered trenches in Hammanskraal in November 2020; and Mpho Mamabolo (9), Remember Mosoma (12), Nthapeleng Laka (11) and Nkosinathi Masilela (9) who drowned in a man-made irrigation dam at Baviaanspoort in August 2012.
Other victims were Nxobile Mahlangu (11) and Siyabonga Ntuli (6) who drowned at Hartherly dumping site near Nellmaphius, Tshwane, in January 2015 as well as Bonolo Malamela (9) who drowned in the Moretele River, Mamelodi, in March 2014.
Elsewhere in the country, other children also lost their lives in similar circumstances. Nsuku Mhlongo (6) died after falling into a manhole left open in Giyani, Limpopo, in January 2019 while 18-month old Mighty Baloyi fell into a borehole abandoned by a contractor at Joppie Village outside Tzaneen in November 2018.
Lawrence’s distraught uncle, Dean Moore, said the family wanted nothing but accountability. “We want to see someone being held accountable for what has happened. We cannot continue to have children dying in Mamelodi when their parents think they are out playing. The contractors who create quarries must ensure they are condoned off,” Moore said.
Grieving members of the community yesterday trickled in and out of the heart-broken families’ homes to offer their condolences following the death of the children.
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Jacob Mamabolo, who said he was tired of hearing stories of children drowning, has launched an independent investigation led by senior counsel.
The purpose of the probe was to investigate the circumstances that led to the deaths of the boys, he said. “Within the next two days, independent investigators who are experts in the law and not employees of the government will come here and meet the families.
“They will be working to find out what led to this incident. What they are going to investigate is whether or not the contractor working here or subcontractors made some errors while carrying out their duties.
“We do not want to blame them, but we also do not want to absolve them of any blame. The investigations will reveal everything to us. There should not be any questions families raise that go unanswered.”
Mamabolo said the Moore family had asked that their lawyer join the investigating team. He said the government would be transparent and also give the families the report to view and analyse before making it public.
Tshwane Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community and Social Development, Thabisile Vilakazi, told the families that the city would appoint social workers to help with counselling and other important arrangements leading up to the funerals of the children.
However, critics and opposition parties called for heads to roll, saying the blame lay at the door of the government.
ActionSA’s Abel Tau lambasted the City of Tshwane and the government for failing to take strong measures to prevent the deaths of black children in townships. Those responsible had to be punished, he said.
The party, which is taking the City of Tshwane to court in a civil and criminal lawsuit after the deaths of the four Hammanskraal boys, said it would work with the Mamelodi community to ensure somebody was held accountable for this and other incidents.
Tau, a former Tshwane acting mayor and MMC, said he would be visiting the families and the quarry. “I am tired of black children dying and the families just getting visits and apologies, with no one being held accountable.
“A mast collapsed and killed five children in Soshanguve in 2017. We saw people coming out saying they are sorry. I hate going into race, but had these children been white, these deaths would be the biggest news in the land.”
Pretoria News