Boy (13) proud of school work before he dies
“I saw them killing him, I saw them taking away plastic bottles from his hands and pushing him into the water.”
LEANDRA – “Today I nearly got all the answers right, mom, and I only got one answer wrong in mathematics!”
These were Koketso Gift Mabuza (13) from Lebohang’s last words to his mom on Friday, 13 February.
The last time his mother, Ms Jabulile Mabuza, saw him, was when he returned from school and then left to play with his friends.
Ms Mabuza got worried at around 7pm when he had not yet returned home.
“I sensed that something was not right when I could not find him after searching for him at friends and families’ homes.
“His friends told me to look for him at the playground where he usually played on the merry go round, but he was not there,” said the sobbing mother.
She filed a missing person case at the Leandra Police Station at about 11pm.
The first thing she did the next morning, was to look for him again and she also phoned the police to find out if there was any progress on their side.
While searching for him, a boy aged between 10 and 12 years whose name cannot be mentioned for security purposes, came forward and said: “I saw them killing him, I saw them taking away plastic bottles from his hands and pushing him into the water.”
The police were immediately informed by the family that Koketso was seen at the quarry in Lebohang.
The young boy accompanied them to where he last saw Koketso being pushed into the water and on their arrival at the spot where he was standing, they immediately noticed his clothes near the water.
“I was shocked, because I did not know that my son came here to swim,” said the mother.
Police divers immediately arrived on the scene.
The community of Lebohang also came out in large numbers to witness the search for Koketso’s body .
Some residents were angry because they said they have been reporting this quarry during their meetings with the municipality for a long time, but to no avail.
They said the municipality had made this quarry and that Koketso’s drowning was not the first one.
Ms Mabuza was sitting in a family member’s car during the search, because she could not stand to witness the body of her son being recovered.
It was recovered at 12.55pm on Saturday.
W/O Matrose from Leandra Police Station is appealing to the community of Leandra to make sure that their children are not swimming in quarry dams around Lebohang.
The community must make sure that they chase the children around the quaries.
Parents should also take responsibility of their children by working together to ensure their children’s safety.
For more information contact W/O Matrose 083 750 3539/ office (017) 683 0212
