10-year-old boy dies trying to save eight-year-old sister

A boy aged 10 died trying to save his eight-year-old sister on Saturday.

SowetanLive reports that the young girl, named Adivhaho, fell into a trench at a construction site and her brother, Ntakadzeni, had tried to save her.

The publication spoke to the children’s uncle, Edward Masithi, who said Ntakadzeni was a brave young boy who showed “undying love” for his sister.

It is reported that the two children drowned and their bodies were recovered later on Saturday.

The family has said that it will demand that the construction company should compensate them for their loss.

The uncle said the family was demanding that the company pay for burial costs and pay them R200 million in compensation.

The company is reportedly constructing a bridge in Muledane near Thohoyandou in Venda.

The uncle told the publication that he had risked his life by jumping into the trench filled with water to look for the bodies of the two children.

He said when he arrived at the trench, he was told by police that they were waiting for a rescue unit which was coming from 190km away.

The family said the eight-year-old fell into the trench while walking on a wooden roof beam placed across it as a makeshift bridge.

The police in Thohoyandou have opened an inquest following the deaths of the two children, Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said in a statement.

“According to information received, four siblings were walking from one section of the Muledane township in Thohoyandou to the other when [Adivhaho] suddenly fell from the bridge and plunged into a water-filled ditch below. Her brother also jumped into the ditch, apparently trying to rescue his sister, but they both perished. The other two siblings ran home to make an alarm.”

The wooden makeshift bridge was made for pedestrians as the streets in the area were being tarred, Mojapelo said.

“It is not clear at this stage if the deceased drowned or died as a result of the falling. This will be determined by the unfolding police investigations. The ditch was apparently filled with water after the recent rains that fell in the area.”

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu. Additional reporting by News24 Wire.)

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