BOY DROWNS IN QUARRY
SANDI KWON HOO SANDI.KWONHOO@ACM.CO.ZA
COMMUNITY members are calling for an old mining quarry in De Beershoogte, Barkly West to be permanently closed off after a 13-year-old boy drowned in the abandoned pit.
His funeral was held on Wednesday.
The boy apparently went with a group of friends to cool off in the quarry on January 24 but never returned home.
A relative said that the boy was not able to swim.
“The boys said that they went to fetch honey at the pit. They said that the deceased had remained behind and had not returned with them. The T-shirt, clothes and shoes that he was last seen wearing were spotted near the pit. It was only the following day that his body was retrieved by police divers,” said the relative.
She indicated that the boy’s mother is employed at a nearby farm and that he was left in the care of a family member in De Beershoogte.
She added that when she had last seen the boy, she had not been able to get a satisfactory answer from him when she asked him why he was not at school.
“This pit must be closed off to prevent further deaths.”
EFF Dikgatlong councillor Lefa Leeuw said the quarry had become a dumping ground for rubbish and a haven for criminal activities.
“Children go there to swim and several youngsters have drowned there. Due to recent heavy downpours, the water is very deep. The pit serves as a drainage site for excess stormwater in the area. The majority of the fencing that was erected around the quarry was stolen and a more sustainable solution needs to be found,” said Leeuw.
He added that he would request council to level the area, which is an unrehabilitated mining site that is covered with boulders.
“How many more people must die before something is done? The body of a man was hidden in the quarry after he was murdered. It poses a danger to the community and especially small children.”
Police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said an autopsy was performed and no foul play was suspected.
Dikgatlong Municipality did not respond to media enquiries.