Boy’s drowning an ‘innocent mistake’
Rodney Maluleke's family is devastated but does not blame anyone for what happened
LIMPOPO – According to Jane Maluleke, the family’s spokesperson, Rodney Maluleke (6) went to play with his friends next to the water canal last Tuesday after school when another group of youths apparently joined them and it is alleged that one of the boys pushed Rodney into the canal. He subsequently drowned.
The family however, does not blame anyone for what happened.
“While we understand that our child’s death might have been a mistake which resulted from a possibly innocent action between two kids, his death has devastated us all,” she said, appealing for financial assistance from the Greater Giyani Municipality.
Meanwhile the municipality’s Chief Whip, Richard Mashali, promised the municipality would help with the funeral arrangements that were not covered by the family’s society as well as other necessities which the family might need.
“While we understand that death happens every day, this is a unique death which brings us all together in grief, hence we’re here as municipality to render our help in terms of funeral arrangements,” he said.
The question as as to why the canal that channels water from Klein Letaba Dam to Nsami is not fenced as it poses a danger to children and animals was raised and Mashali said villagers who steal the fence are to blame.
“Every time we put up a fence here it gets stolen within weeks by people who need it to fence their fields.
“We are looking into ways of ensuring that incidents like this one does not happen again.” He urged people to stay away from the canal while the government looks for ways to make it safer to the community.
