The mayor of Matatiele Municipality in the Eastern Cape, Momelezi Mbedla, says he is disturbed by the death of six learners from Popopo Senior Primary at Freystat village on Wednesday afternoon.
The six learners died after they were swept by a flash flood while trying to cross a river.
There has been no schooling at the village following the tragedy and four bodies have since been recovered.
Police divers and villagers are busy searching for the two remaining bodies.
Eleven other learners were saved by locals. Mbedla maintains that they never anticipated that something like this would happen. A construction of a bridge is underway in the area.
“We are really shocked and sad, we never anticipated it, what is most saddening is the two kids that are yet to be found. The solution is the construction of the bridge which we are already in the site as you can see that we do have a site as we have already appointed a contractor to construct a bridge .What is saddening and shocking whilst we are waiting for the contractor to establish itself on site this thing happens.”
