According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe, Samuel Matshusa aged 4 from Mungwazeni Village at Letsitele was playing with his friends on Monday near an open toilet pit when he fell inside and drowned.
Tebatso Semango and Tshepo Mkhabela both aged 12 from Mawa Village in Bolobedu were swimming at the Merekome River just outside the village when they drowned on Wednesday night.
Inquests dockets have been opened and police investigations continue. All the bodies were removed from the water.
“Police would like to caution members of the community, especially parents, to put more effort on child safety during the rainy seasons to prevent such incidents from happening. They are also advised not to leave open pit toilets unattended. As soon as an open pit is completed, it must be blocked on top for the sake of child safety. Community members are urged to immediately remove children swimming in rivers if they find them, preventing them from drowning” said Ngoepe.
