Body of schoolboy hero who drowned in tragic rescue attempt at Darnall found

The body of the heroic teenager who dived into the flooded Nonoti river in Darnall last Tuesday to save his young neighbour was recovered almost a week after he had been swept away.

Thandokuhle Nzuza (14) tragically lost his life during his attempts to rescue seven-year-old Bandile Makhoba, who had been swept off the low-level Soweto bridge during the deadly floods last week.

Last week’s downpours caused the deaths of five people on the North Coast. This includes two adults who were swept into the swollen Umvoti River last Wednesday morning. The river was in full flood after the recent heavy rains.

Both boys attended Hulsig Primary School in Darnall and were on their way home from school when the tragedy unfolded. Rescue workers battling debris and fast-flowing water conducted an extensive search after the incident however according to IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson, Paul Herbst the search had to be called off at around 5.30pm due to extreme weather conditions and lightning.

Rescue teams returned to the scene at first light last Wednesday, to continue their operation, searching along the riverbank and lower flowing water.

The body of Makhoba was recovered last Wednesday afternoon using an inflatable rescue boat and handed over to KwaDukuza police.

However, the multiple joint rescue teams continued their extensive search for Nzuza’s body and a week after the tragedy his body was recovered on Monday afternoon about one kilometre from the bridge.

In another incident a 10-year-old child lost his life while swimming in a rain-filled excavation hole in Emona, Tongaat last Wednesday.

Herbst said paramedics responded to a report of a drowning.

“Upon arrival it was established that a 10-year-old boy had been

playing in a large water-filled excavation hole when he got into difficulty and drowned.”

The body was discovered by another child, a girl who lives nearby.

Widespread rains last week flooded coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal, disrupting traffic and forcing several roads to be closed, including the M4 northern freeway between Umhlanga and the Sibaya precinct.

KwaDukuza municipality said that as a result of the storm, there had been an increase in the number of burst pipes while numerous areas had experienced power outages attributed to vegetation falling on to the overhead lines, and unusually strong winds, causing the lines to sway and break.

Schools across the province suspended classes on Friday following a directive from the KZN Education Department which advised principals not to open schools if they did not have to.

The South African Weather Service said rainfall recorded at King Shaka International Airport from November 10 to 15 was 164.2mm while the Darnall area recorded 118mm during the week.

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