Floods: Body of 16-year-old Mpumalanga teen found in dam

The body of a 16-year-old boy was found in a dam at Mgobodi, Mpumalanga, following the recent floods that hit the Nkomazi Municipality.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the search continues for others who are still missing. Most of them are suspected to have drowned.

Discovery

“Yesterday, Wednesday 15 February 2023 at about 6pm, the police from Tonga were called to Mgobodzi after the community members retrieved the body of the young boy from the dam.

“According to information, the boy and his friends went to the dam to cool off. It is alleged that when his friends realised that he was no longer coming out of the water, they went and reported it to the elders. Community members managed to retrieved the lifeless body of the boy and then alerted the authorities,” said Mohlala.

Warning

He also stated that medical personnel certified the teenager dead at the scene.

The provincial commissioner of the police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, also warned community members to try stay away from rivers and dams that are currently full.

ALSO READ: ‘Everything is under water,’ say farmers as heavy rain leaves trail of destruction across SA

State of disaster

Meanwhile, the government declared a national state of disaster over the widespread floods on Monday.

In recent weeks, floods have affected Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Northern Cape and the North West provinces.

According to Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, the National Disaster Management Centre has classified the impact of the above-normal rainfall in various parts of the country – with Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape as the most affected – as a national disaster.

READ MORE: Government declares national state of disaster over widespread floods