Family of six-year-old Limpopo boy who drowned in abandoned borrow pit want answers

The family of a six-year-old boy, Rendzo Valoyi, is struggling to get answers from the Collins Chabane Municipality, after their son drowned in an abandoned borrow pit at N’wamatatani village, reports the Review Online.

According to locals, there are several abandoned and unrehabilitated borrow pits in the area, seemingly after a construction company was hired to build the N’wamatatani ring road a year ago. The road is yet to be completed.

Two weeks ago, Rendzo and two other children were playing around the borrow pit, one that according to family often attracts children from the area because of an abandoned excavator.

As they were playing, the three children starting swimming in the borrow pit, when Renzo ran into trouble in the muddy water.

His eight-year-old cousin apparently rushed home to alert adults of the situation.

“When the family arrived on the scene, they started searching for the children,” said family spokesperson, Lucky Mabasa.

“Unfortunately, Rendzo had already lost his battle, as it appeared he had drowned in the muddy waters. The other child, who seemed to also have been affected severely, was still alive and was rescued.

“The family approached the municipality as they are of the view that the area should have been rehabilitated, and that the onus was on the municipality to ensure that this was the case.

“Even though the mayor, Moses Maluleke, attended Renzo’s memorial service, the municipality has thus far failed to cooperate or directly address the matter,” he said.

Neither of the surviving two children had received any form of counselling following the event.

The borrow pits are situated roughly 100 metres from a residential area.

Rendzo was laid to rest on Saturday. He was a Grade 1 learner at Joe Mabedle Primary School.

Strict regulations govern the establishment and operation of a borrow pit, with the penalties and sanctions relating to negligence clearly outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Media enquiries were sent to Collins Chabane Municipality Spokesperson, MJ Wa Azania, who kept promising a statement. By the time of publishing, no comment had been received.