Klip River in Kliptown yields body of drowned toddler
"I would like to applaud these officials for all their hard work. They worked tirelessly to ensure that the body was found," said Ngwenya.
The drowning incident which occurred close to the Walter Sisulu informal settlement in Kliptown, was a tragedy which saw a toddler losing his life after being swept downstream by the strong Klip River current. According to the Kliptown police communications officer, Hitler Ngwenya, on August 3, four young children from the settlement were playing close to the stream which runs between Kliptown and Klipspruit West.
Ngwenya said that, according to reports, a passerby saw the children playing and watched in shock as two of them accidentally fell in. “He jumped in to save them children but only managed to save one because the current was too strong. The other child was swept away in the undertow,” he said.
Rescue teams were on the scene every day since the incident and after almost two weeks of searching, the toddler’s body was found in the stream several meters away from where the drowning occurred. Ngwenya said, “The body of the little boy was found trapped inside the reef of the river bank. Search and rescue officials turned off the water supply to the stream in hopes that less water flowing through would lead to the body appearing. Officials were able to physically walk inside the stream and managed to retrieve the body.”
According to Ngwenya, the rescue teams involved were the South African Police Services’ (SAPS) Diving and Water Wing Unit, the SAPS Air Wing and Emergency Management Services. “I would like to applaud these officials for all their hard work. They worked tirelessly to ensure that the body was found,” said Ngwenya. He added that residents should be careful when passing or crossing the stream because the current is unpredictable and dangerous. “Everyone needs to be careful, not only children,” said Ngwenya
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