Search, discovery efforts for Soweto boy yield nothing

Six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who is believed to have fallen into a manhole on Sunday while playing with his friends. Picture: Itumeleng English African News Agency (ANA)

Six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who is believed to have fallen into a manhole on Sunday while playing with his friends. Picture: Itumeleng English African News Agency (ANA)

Published Jun 15, 2022

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Siyabonga Sithole

THE search and discovery mission for six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who went missing three days ago, was abandoned yesterday following an unsuccessful attempt to locate him.

City of Joburg’s Emergency Management Services staff (EMS) as well as neighbours and community members who had braved the chilly weather conditions returned empty-handed, with EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi indicating that the mission would be resumed today.

This he said would be done with the assistance of the Department of Water and Sanitation which has undertaken to divert the water supply passing through the manhole.

This will be done to ease the water pressure to make it safe for rescuers go inside the manhole.

Residents of Dlamini in Soweto along with Joburg’s emergency services department search for missing six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who it is believed to have fallen into a manhole on Sunday while playing with his friends. Picture: Itumeleng English African News Agency (ANA)

It was reported that Magadla fell into an exposed manhole that was part of the drainage system while playing with friends on Sunday afternoon. Attempts to locate him on Sunday and Monday proved futile.

Mulaudzi said the search and rescue mission had since been adapted to a search and recovery mission on account of the intervening hours that had passed since the boy’s disappearance.

“This has become a search and recovery mission instead of a search and rescue mission. Members of the rescue team have been dispatched to the other side of the drainage system because, with the way the water is flowing, we realised that we should not confine our search to just around the manhole. We believe, if anything, his body will be found along the way and not around here,” Mulaudzi said.

Following the return of the team yesterday, Mulaudzi said they had sought assistance of the department who had agreed to divert the water in order to ease the water pressure and levels running under the manhole in order to make it possible for rescuers to look into the manhole.

Residents of Dlamini in Soweto along with Joburg’s emergency services department search for missing six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who it is believed to have fallen into a manhole on Sunday while playing with his friends. Picture: Itumeleng English African News Agency (ANA)

“We enlisted the help of the water works who have agreed to help us in this process. We are forced to call off the mission for today (Tuesday) while they divert the water and ease the pressure to make it possible for the rescue team to continue the search tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. It will not be possible for them to continue today as the pressure and levels have not subsided,” he said.

Family spokesperson Zakhele Khumalo said they were still hopeful that Khayalethu would be found.

Residents of Dlamini in Soweto along with Joburg’s emergency services department search for missing six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who it is believed to have fallen into a manhole on Sunday while playing with his friends. Picture: Itumeleng English African News Agency (ANA)

“As a family, we remain hopeful that he will be found. We are very much troubled by his disappearance and are not happy at all about how things have turned out.

“Even on the first day, we were not happy with how we were received by the police. When we arrived at the police station to seek help, we found no assistance. There was literally no one to assist us,” Khumalo said.

The same sentiments regarding the police were echoed by various members of the community who were at the scene yesterday.

“There were no police when we arrived at the Moroka police station. If the police had responded to our cries in time, I think we would have been able to find the child.

Residents of Dlamini in Soweto along with Joburg’s emergency services department search for missing six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who it is believed to have fallen into a manhole on Sunday while playing with his friends. Picture: Itumeleng English African News Agency (ANA)

“Even now, not enough is being done to recover the child. Why has it taken them this long to get inside the manhole to see if his body isnot trapped inside, anyway? If it was a white child, I’m sure they would have made use of technology, sniffer dogs and the helicopter to ensure that the child was found but because the child is black, not much is being done,” said Nomvula Motha, a member of the community.

Another community member, Nombulelo Ngena, said the issue of having a park without a fencing structure in place had contributed to the park being a hazard to children.

“The manhole should have been secured a long time ago and not yesterday. Also, there is no fence structure to ensure that children play in a secured and safe space,” Ngena said.

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