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The quarry filled with water at the quarry in the informal settlement of Kopanong Pienaarspoort, near Mamelodi, where two young children drowned.
- On Saturday afternoon, the bodies of two young children were discovered in a water-filled quarry created by contractors working on the roads around an informal settlement near Mamelodi.
- It is understood that the boys went to the quarry, which has not been fenced, to swim.
- While an investigation into the incident was launched, the city of Tshwane and Action SA leader Herman Mashaba believe the deaths were due to negligence on the part of the contractors.
The drowning of two children in a water-filled quarry near Mamelodi in Pretoria over the weekend was not an accident, but negligence that should be criminally punished.
These were the views of Action SA leader Herman Mashaba, who visited the place where Laurence Thwenu, four, and Siyabonga Mabila, seven, died on Tuesday after swimming on Saturday afternoon.
According to the family, the two children were playing and had to go to the quarry in the informal settlement of Kopanong Pienaarspoort around 2:30 p.m. to take a bath.
The quarry fills with water at the quarry in the informal settlement of Kopanong Pienaarspoort, near Mamelodi, where two young children drowned.
About an hour later, the family was notified that the children were missing and that their clothes and shoes had been found in the quarry. Residents searched in vain and the bodies of Siyabonga and Laurence were later discovered in the quarry by police search and rescue teams.
It is understood that the quarry was created by a construction team that is creating roads in the area.
Investigation started
On Monday, Gauteng Public Transport and Road Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo visited the site and said they would launch an independent investigation led by a lead attorney to uncover the circumstances that led to the deaths of the two children.
“The department will institute an independent investigation into this tragedy to determine the guilt or negligence of the contractor,” Mamabolo said in a statement.
“The investigation will investigate whether or not there was negligence on the part of the contractor and all risks related to the project to determine whether the incident could have been avoided or not.”
Founder and President of ActionSA, Herman Mashaba.
“We will designate an independent forensic investigation to establish the facts about this tragic incident without any interference from interested parties in the matter later this week.”
The MEC added that the results of the investigation would be implemented without prejudice and that the department would act without fear or favor where some form of responsibility had been determined.
This was no accident
However, according to Mashaba, who said she would also appoint a team to investigate, it was clear that the deaths were the result of negligence.
“This matter should not be treated as an accident, it should be treated as the murder of two young men by our government through negligence,” Mashaba said.
“This is not an accident scene, this is a crime scene.”
It was evident that the quarry had no barricades or fences and was easily assessable by the community.
“Whoever is responsible for this excavation, didn’t you know? Construction of this nature anywhere in the world is managed and controlled through health and safety measures implemented to safeguard communities.”
He added that the children could not be blamed for swimming in the quarry, as the community did not have facilities for children to play or cool down safely on a hot day.
The quarry fills with water at the quarry in the informal settlement of Kopanong Pienaarspoort, near Mamelodi, where two young children drowned.
The quarry filled with water at the quarry in the informal settlement of Kopanong Pienaarspoort, near Mamelodi, where two young children drowned.
Mashaba said that the family had given him the go-ahead to follow the legal path and hold those responsible accountable.
“[We] We will take care of this until our government begins to treat us as human beings and understands its obligations. Either by the government or by a private service provider, we will hold them responsible for the deaths of these two children. “
“These are not mistakes, this is not an accident, this is negligence. We need to hold people criminally and civilly responsible.”
There must be responsibility
Tshwane MMC for Human Settlements Mpho Mehlape-Zimu, who was also at the site on Tuesday, also believes there was negligence as the quarry had not been fenced off.
She was also frustrated that the area had not been blocked on Tuesday despite an agreement to do so on Sunday, the morning after the two children drowned.
Mehlape-Zimu added that he had not yet seen or met the site’s security officer.
Mehlape-Zimu believes that the deaths were preventable and that due to clear and apparent negligence, there must be liability of the contractors and that they would have to compensate the families in addition to the care of the funerals.
Meanwhile, the Tshwane metro police would monitor the area and, in the long term, the quarry would have to be drained and rehabilitated. The city had also organized counseling services for affected families.
