Tshwane Executive Mayor, Randall Williams, has conveyed his condolences to the families of the three boys whose bodies were found in a storm water drain in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the storm on Friday blew some barricades into the site, which the young boys were then using to swim and play with in the trench. The bodies of the boys, aged between nine and 10, were found by a passersby.
Emergency Services declared them dead on scene.
Police are investigating the incident.
Williams says the Tshwane Metro Police Department has been tasked with patrolling and securing the site.
“The deaths of these young boys is a tragedy beyond measure. It is a devastating loss to the families, the community of Hammanskraal and the whole of Tshwane. I ask that all residents of the city take a moment today to offer their thoughts and prayers for the departed souls of these young boys and their families. Tshwane mourns for them. May their souls rest in peace.”
Bodies of three boys found in storm trench in Hammanskraal:
Emergency services on high alert
Tshwane Emergency Services remain on high alert following the heavy rains that caused flooding and claimed the lives of the three boys.
Spokesperson Charles Mabaso says they’re implementing flood incident management plans and are monitoring low water bridges, especially in hotspot areas.
“In the Centurion area on Rabie and End Street, there is the clearing of debris on the road since that is a known hot spot for flooding and other areas within the regions of Tshwane. The water levels are fairly low but we keep on monitoring them. If it rains in other parts of Gauteng like in JHB or Ekhuruleni, the city of Tshwane is an encatchment area so we remain on high alert even when there is no rain.”
Mabaso has also raised concerns about the death of the three boys who died at a construction site.
“Construction sites are not a place to play for children. We need to educate the communities that any construction site is not a place where one should play, whether it be during a rainy season or even if it’s not raining and there is water that has pulled off.”
