Cape Town - In a heart-wrenching tragedy for a Mfuleni family, 1-year-old Sinoxolo Sethi’s life was tragically cut short after he accidentally fell into stagnant flood water and drowned.
Sinoxolo was with his mother Ntombi Sethi at their Phumla-Mqashi informal settlement home in Covid, Mfuleni, last Friday, when he wandered off.
The devastated woman recalled how she was about to give her child a haircut when she was interrupted by her neighbour.
“It was around 4pm when I decided to cut his hair, my neighbour asked me about her key and I went to show her and told her that I didn’t have it.
“When I went back home, he wasn’t there, searched for him, I went into the bushes shouting his name and there was no response.
“I went back to my neighbour and told her my baby was missing and she thought I was joking and said I must go look for him.”
Sethi said that three hours later, Sinoxolo’s lifeless body was found in the pool of water that stagnated on an open field caused by heavy rainfall in July.
“I went to the committee members and reported the case, and we went back to my area where the plan was to call him over the megaphone, but one of the neighbours told me the child had been found.
“He told me that he was dead in the water. I ran to the scene and saw that he really had drowned.”
Sethi suspected the toddler may have gone to visit the older children who live near their home.
“I didn’t think of checking for him there because the older children were not at home that time.”
Community activist, Luthando Mcuntula, said the stagnated pool of water was caused by flooding.
“This is one of the worst flooded areas in Covid. It has been like this since July.
“We notice that the government will only come to us when there’s a tragic incident like this.
“I arranged for a digger loader to come and open a trench so the water could flow into the river. The government will come when the media is here, or when we go and protest. I’m sure they will come next year during election campaigns.
“On Wednesday I asked the councillor to come and see the mother of the deceased and also see how he could help since the family has no burial money, the mom isn’t working.”
Police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg, said Mfuleni officers registered an inquest for investigation.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.”
Anyone with any information about the incident can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za