Hero north boy (9) drowns as he tries to rescue friend
A 9 year old fell into a construction trench, near a residential area, and lost his life.
A nine-year-old Soshanguve boy died while trying to save a friend.
Thapelo Tambeni’s heroic efforts to save a playmate from drowning in a construction pit ended tragically when he lost his life in the attempt.
Tambeni, a pupil at Transoranje school for the deaf, was playing with his friends on a heap of sand near a construction site when one of his friends suddenly slipped into a water-filled trench last Wednesday.
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Tambeni managed to rescue his friend, but ended up sliding into the trench himself and disappeared under the murky water, his brother Joseph said.
Joseph was called to the scene, where he immediately started the attempt to rescue his younger brother.
“My friend tied a rope around my waist so I could get into the water to look for him. I could not locate him as the trench was filled with muddy water,” he said.
Tambani’s sister Margret told Rekord that she heard the devastating news from her late brother’s playmates.
“It was about 4:30 when I was told that my brother had fallen into a trench. A group of kids came running and crying at my door telling me that my brother was drowning.”
The construction site is behind the Soshanguve South secondary school, near the Sandriver in extension 10. The incident has left the community in shock.
Operations to rescue Tambani went on well into the night. It was only after expert divers had arrived that his body was pulled out of the trench.
Ward 37 councillor Sphiwe Montlha offered his condolences to the family.
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“We are very sorry to the family and the community. We request that the police, the contractor and the client, which is the city of Tshwane administration, conduct a thorough investigation. We want to know what happened,” said Montlha.
Akasia police spokesperson Matsobane Mabusela urged residents to report hazardous occurrences in the community to relevant authorities.
“Our advice to the community, especially after the rainy season, is that if there are places that are dangerous, they should report such cases to all the role players, the police included, so that we can assist.”
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