SUNDAY, April 6, is a day that the Ntlola family from Cato Manor will never forget. The day that their seven-year-old son Siqalo Ntlola went missing, and less than 24 hours later, his body was pulled out of Cato Manor River on Monday afternoon.

“I went to church in the morning, he did not want to go so I left him at home with his older siblings. There were people at home that could look after him, so I agreed,” said Siqalo’s mother, Happy Ntlola, as she recalled the last moments that she spent with her son on Sunday morning. “I came back home around 16:00 and asked his sister when she last saw him, and she said, ‘When he came to ask for lunch.’ He left to play with his friends before he could even eat that lunch.”

The grieving mother of three said she grew concerned when it was 18:00 and Siqalo had not returned. They went out to look for him. “I saw one of his friends and asked where Siqalo was. He said he never saw him all day. I knew then there was something wrong because they are always together,” said Ntlola. “When I asked around the local shop, people said they saw them earlier together with their other friends. They had all gone together to play soccer at the grounds near Nkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital. Siqalo knew he was forbidden to go there because that ground is far from home, we would never have allowed him to go. So he snuck away.”

Also Read: Tragic end to search for missing seven-year-old in Cato Manor

She said the sports ground is located near a dense bushy area, with a stream running through it. “I don’t know why they would have gone into it, that place is scary. Apparently, Siqalo and his friend went in to swim because they were hot from playing soccer. He then experienced difficulty in the water and drowned. When the boys saw this, they panicked, took their dogs with them and left him in the water. I just wished they had told the truth from the start instead of lying to us. We searched all night for Siqalo, yet they knew where my child was,” said Ntlola.

Siqalo was reported missing at Cato Manor police station around 23:00 after a neighbourhood search yielded no result. In the morning the family reached out to private security company, Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), for help in searching for the missing child. Prem Balram, RUSA spokesperson, said the RUSA R44 helicopter on Monday morning conducted an aerial search of the area where Siqalo was last seen. “The pilot crew searched along the river and identified a pool that could possibly be the area of drowning. His body was located shortly afterwards at the bottom of the plunge pool and removed by a community member,” said Balram.

“If it was not for RUSA, we would still be looking for Siqalo, not knowing what happened to him. I am grateful to them and the community, for being with us throughout this ordeal and helping to find our child. Siqalo was going to be eight years old on May 25. This is every mother’s nightmare, I don’t know what to do or how to feel. The entire family is heartbroken and devastated. There’s a hole in my heart that will never be filled,” said Ntlola.

She described the late Nsimbini Primary School Grade Two learner as an active child who had a passion for soccer with a desire to play professionally one day. The family could not confirm when Siqalo would be laid to rest. The police said no foul play was suspected in Siqalo’s death.

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