Four children drown
THE bodies of four primary school learners were discovered by Empangeni SAPS Search and Rescue personnel on Monday afternoon at a dam in Mabhuyeni.
According to reports the Eyethu Bay Watch obtained at the scene, one of the learners, who accompanied the four but did not swim, alerted members of the community after he witnessed the boys drowning.
Among the children were a set of twin brothers, Ayabonga and Ayathaba Mthembu (10), Qiniso Mchunu (6) and Asanda Dube (11).
The Mthembu brothers as well as Mchunu attended Manzampofu Primary School while Dube attended Lubane Primary School.
According to the mother of the twins, Sizakele Mahaye, a teacher at the school which her sons attended, she had left her boys at home in the morning and told them not to leave.
Ward 7 councillor, under the uMfolozi Municipality, Thama Khumalo, alerted the Empangeni SAPS Search and Rescue crew who were immediately dispatched to the area and searched the dam using a standard diving search method.
All four bodies were discovered in close proximity under approximately two metres of water.
A large crowd of community members gathered around the dam, among them, some of the relatives of the boys.
Richards Bay NSRI, uMhlathuze Fire and Rescue, KZN EMRS and locals SAPS members were among the rescue personnel that assisted with the search and recovery of the bodies.