‘It took a life for them to see’
The boy radiated so much positive energy that he couldnt bear to see anyone around him feeling down. He died after he slipped inside a hole dug by Joburg Water.
Nyakallo Lethoko was so full of life and jovial as his name translates ‘joy’. So much so, that he couldn’t bear to see anyone around him feeling down. He knew how to offer a shoulder to cry on as young as he was.
These are the words his caregiver and aunt Puleng Mabuea used to describe the four-year-old boy who drowned in an excavation that was reportedly left uncovered since January by Johannesburg Water.
The water facility was repairing a pipe burst in the Clay Oven Informal Settlement, Paulshof, in January.
It took someone’s life for them to see how dangerous it is – this according to Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy.
Mabuea said they had informed Johannesburg Water to come and backfill the hole several times but they made promises they couldn’t deliver.
On April 6, Nyakallo and a friend were walking back from the crèche, which is just behind his home, when he slipped into the hole that was filled with water.
The Johannesburg Water excavation is located on the sidewalk leading to his home.
Read more: No hope for quick fix say Joburg Water
“He was forced to use this road because of the main road and there is grass on the other side which makes it impossible for people to walk. In fact, this a path that the residents regularly use to enter into the settlement,” said Reddy.
“You can see there is no demarcation; no safety tape around it even after this tragedy. It is horrible that the entity can leave the place without closing the whole and applying any safety measures.”
Mabuea said as a family they are devastated by what happened to the child. She said she does not even have words to describe the pain of losing Nyakallo through such a tragic incident.
She is a volunteer at a daycare and was at it when the incident occurred.
“I have been taking care of him since he was two years old. We were alerted by his friend who came crying and he was pulled out by a lady who works with me at the crèche. His stomach was big and full of water. We tried to pump him and called someone with a car to take him to hospital. He was pronounced dead upon arrival.”
“I did not know how to inform his mother because she does not stay here. I was so devastated and scared of how to approach the topic. She came here today [April 9] and she could not stop crying. She was in disbelief until she got here. She is tearing apart.”
Read more: Boy drowns in Johannesburg Water excavation hole in Clay Oven, mother inconsolable
She said what they wish is for the entity to assist with the burial costs of the child as they cannot afford it. They also have a hospital bill where Nyakallo was admitted, that needs to be paid
“We do not want the government to bury him. We would like to conduct the funeral on our own.”
Reddy said they are now holding the city responsible for the death of the child. He said the entity was negligent and believes that this could have been avoided if they came and attended to the hole.
“The community of Clay Oven is very angry. I understand their anger. We believe that someone must be held liable for this.”
Lead two: Protest against Johannesburg Water to take responsibility
Out of frustration and anger over the loss of a young life, the residents of the informal settlement took to the streets. They barricaded the Witkoppen and Main roads with burning tyres, stones, and debris on April 8.
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Police monitored the tense situation.
The mother of the little boy, Lydia Monyeke, was accompanied by Reddy to open a case against the entity at Sandton Police Station. Captain Tsietsi Phora confirmed that an inquest docket was registered at the station.
Councillor Jack Sekwaila, MMC for the Environment Infrastructure Service Department, was at the site to offer support and condolences to the family on April 9. He expressed his shock and promised to be with the family every step of the way.
Johannesburg Water was not able to comment as the matter has been handed over to Sekwaila’s office. However, representatives of the entity were also present during his visit to the family.
“We are currently conducting an internal investigation to determine the cause of the tragedy. We will also offer trauma counselling to the innocent people who were affected by the tragic incident especially the friend who was with the boy and the family. We will fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities in this case,” said Sekwaila.
“We will also give the family a chance to practise their beliefs such as collecting his spirit and taking him home. I am so deeply saddened by this tragic incident. We will also sit down and talk about settling the hospital bill we were made aware of.”
Nyakallo will be buried at his mother’s home in Bloemfontein, Free State.
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