The deceased were the family’s grandchildren aged five and six, when they drowned in a manhole prepared for the family’s drainage system.
Speaking to the deceased’s grandfather, Isaiah Sibambo, the incident happened last Friday after school.
“Arriving from school, they found their grandmother outside busy giving directions to Eskom people to come and fix our electricity. She told them to go inside the house to change their school uniform as she waited for the officials outside,” explained Sibambo. The children sneaked out from another door to play at the back of the house.
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“A couple of minutes later when one of the children’s father came to take her daughter for the weekend their granny went out in search of them, to no avail,” he said.
Members of the family even went out in search at a relative’s home not far from their granny’s home. The children were discovered the same day in a ditch.
“One of the family members noticed a shoe near the ditch, that was when she jumped in to try and rescue them,” he added.
The family tried to resuscitate them before they were rushed to Themba Hospital where they were certified dead.
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“We would appreciate psychological counselling for the other children,” said Sibambo. The Pienaar police opened an inquest.
The memorial service will be held on Thursday at Shishila primary school from 10.00. The funeral service this weekend after a night vigil at their grandparents’ home.
