Child (3) attending pre-school outing at Gillooly’s Farm drowns in dam
"We had the best paramedics on-scene. Unfortunately, the child seemed to have been in the water for about 20 minutes or so. The doctors never gave up until after an hour, when they declared the child dead" - restaurant owner.
The Bedfordview SAPS has confirmed the death of three-year-old Banele Manyama.
Banele drowned on the afternoon of Friday, March 13, at Gillooly’s Dam.
According to the Bedfordview SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Mduduzi Nhlabathi, the child was among a group of pre-school pupils who had visited the park on a school outing.
Mr Graham Dickson, the owner of the Mrs Sippi Blues restaurant at Gillooly’s Farm, said a distressed woman approached patrons for help after it started raining.
“My son and I initially thought she needed to bring the children into our restaurant. Instead, she screamed out that a baby was in the water,” said Mr Dickson.
He immediately phone CAP Security, who dispatched trauma doctors to the scene. The doctors were on-scene within 10 minutes.
“One of my customers administered CPR until the doctors arrived to take over,” said Mr Dickson.
Sgt Nhlabathi said the child was declared dead at the scene.
“We had the best paramedics on-scene. Unfortunately, the child seemed to have been in the water for about 20 minutes or so. The doctors never gave up until after an hour, when they declared the child dead,” said Mr Dickson.
According to Mr Dickson, while the doctors arrived at the scene quickly, it took the pathology unit hours to arrive and remove the child’s body.
It is believed the child comes from the Volsoorus area.
