Local fisherman drowns in Itsani Dam
31-year-old Mpho Alfred Mulele of Itsani village near Thohoyandou, drowned in the Itsani dam early on New Year's Day.
LIMPOPO – 31-year-old Mpho Alfred Mulele of Itsani village near Thohoyandou, drowned in the Itsani dam early on New Year’s Day.
Mulele, who was accompanied by a friend, drowned when he was changing his fishing nets. The shocked friend, who witnessed the horror, ran and alerted a passerby as well as Mulele’s family.
A police rescue team spent three hours searching but could not find Mulele.
Mulele’s lifeless body was later retrieved by police divers from Polokwane after an hour-long search. Mulele’s sister, Onica Singo, who was accompanied by her pastor, said she was shocked to receive the information that her brother had drowned in the dam.
“I last spoke to him on the evening of 31 December when we celebrated the coming of the new year. I wish the Thulamela Municipality would fence this dam. A lot of people have died here,” she said.
Spokesperson for the Thohoyandou police, Const Avhafarei Tshiovhe, said an inquest docket has been opened.
Tshiovhe appealed to people not to drink alcohol and go fishing or swimming.
“Even if people are out for a picnic, they must avoid drinking alcohol and swimming,” Tshiovhe said.
