Durban - The owner of the home in which a domestic worker was found dead this week is struggling to come to terms with her death.
Sicelo Nzimande said he was completely shocked when he discovered his helper, Nobuhle Ndlovu, 46, floating in the pool.
Ndlovu had worked for the Nzimande family for almost two years maintaining their palatial home in Inanda.
Nzimande said her duties were mainly inside the house and never expected that the uncovered swimming pool posed a danger to her.
He said he did not use a safety net over the pool because both his children aged 11 and 17 knew how to swim.
Describing the incident as “freak“, Nzimande had picked up his daughter from school on Monday and returned home around 11am.
While coming through his driveway, he said he noticed something was floating in the pool.
The 1.8-metre deep pool is located about 10 metres from the front glass doors of the house and can be seen from the driveway.
He said as he drove closer, he saw Ndlovu had drowned. It was unclear how she ended up in the pool.
She was wearing her casual clothing as opposed to the overalls she normally wears for work, he said, meaning she hadn’t changed for work.
Nzimande said they all left in the morning before Ndlovu arrived for work and that she had her own keys to the house.
“As a family, we are devastated about what happened, she just left us with so many questions. I’m struggling to understand what happened. Did she slip into the pool? Why was she even there, because it was not her responsibility to clean the pool? The cleaning of the yard, including the swimming pool, is my duty. Our pool has no safety net because all of us can swim and there are no toddlers in the house.
“My daughter is also finding it hard to accept what she saw. They had a strong bond and she was part of our family," Nzimande said.
Ndlovu’s family, also from Inanda, was battling to accept her death.
Her only daughter, Tholakele, 27, described her as a caring person who loved her job.
She said she had never mentioned the pool in her employer's house, adding she only spoke about cleaning and washing.
“I went to the house to see where it happened. I guess we all have questions that cannot be answered since she was alone at the time. I was saddened by the news, but I have to accept what has happened.
“Her employer visited us to explain the incident and supported us with the funeral preparations," she said.
Colonel Thembeka Mbele, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, said an inquest has been opened and that the Inanda police station was investigating the matter.
Ndlovu was laid to rest yesterday in Ndwedwe, in the far north of Durban.
Sunday Tribune