admin
Lives are being lost most unnecessarily at Enkwalini, in Entumbane. Now regrettably recognised as the “pool of death,” Enkwalini has in recent years apparently become Bulawayo’s most preferred spot for people seeking to commit suicide. They simply dive into it unnoticed and their bodies are found floating on its water some hours later. We, however, cannot discount the possibility that some of the deaths in the pool are pure accidents. Someone who is drunk, is out of his mind or children can wander around and step into it and drown.
Other people have far much better use for it. A few apostolic churches baptise their new members there. Desperate men spend some of their time there entertaining hopes of catching some fish. We aren’t sure how much fish there is but to us we think that what those men are doing is no different from someone fishing in their swimming pool.
In about two weeks, two men have died at Enkwalini.
Dalisa Ntele, formerly of Njube is said to have told some of his relatives and neighbours that they were seeing him for the last time. He walked to the pool at dusk, sat by its side sniffing some snuff. Suspicious fishermen asked him why he was sitting alone and doing nothing but he told them to leave him alone.
They obliged. As they left for the day, Ntele is said have made his fatal leap into the water.
On Friday morning, passersby saw something floating on Enkwalini and possibly knew beforehand that it was yet another casualty. Indeed, it was the body of Victor Sibanda of Entumbane who had been missing since March 28. It is said he had been beaten up with a baton by his security guard mother for causing dents on her boyfriend’s vehicle. In anger, he walked down to the pool to his demise.
We have counted too many deaths, dozens if not scores of them at that place and we demand immediate corrective action from authorities. We cannot continue to lose lives at that place every time and fail to do anything to prevent their recurrence.
These deaths must be making people, particularly those living close to Enkwalini, very uncomfortable, not knowing whose body they would find next floating there.
Reports say this is a man-made pool, dug a few years ago, allegedly by Davies Granite for quarry stones. After getting the stones, and the money that goes with them, they left a gaping ground that has become a death hole. Water collects in it whenever it rains.
We demand that Bulawayo City Council as the owner of most land in the city immediately deploys municipal or any other guards at Enkwalini to monitor the movement of people there, or better still ban any movement around it or any use of that pool. This must be a permanent deployment.
After securing it from people, we expect council to raise some money to fence the pool off to make it difficult for anyone contemplating using its water for ulterior motives to access it. It is unlikely to be a big sum of money needed to buy some poles and fencing, but certainly not barbed wire, a few bags of cement and labour to do the job.
If council does not have money, we don’t think residents with houses around the pool who are often confronted with ghastly sights of bodies of dead strangers, would fail to raise money to assist. They can contribute also in terms of providing some of the materials and labour required to ensure that the danger that Enkwalini poses is alleviated.
Indeed council announced a plan to fence it off, after Ntele’s death but a few days later Sibanda died. It tells us how dangerous it is to simply announce plans and do nothing about them by way of actually executing them.
Patrols around Enkwalini and a perimeter fence will possibly not prevent a committed person from killing themselves in the pool. The surest way to ensure that lives are saved is to drain all the water out and cover it totally.
That should be more expensive. However, the cost in terms of dollars and cents is nothing compared to the human cost of Enkwalini and the emotional suffering caused on relatives when their loved ones perish in its water.
It is worth reiterating that taking one’s life doesn’t solve anything. Our people can be angry or despondent, but committing suicide must not be seen as an option.
Davis Granite has said they did not dig the place but we maintain that council, if they are indeed serious, should know who does whatever activity, particularly excavation work in the city. No one can just dig up pits, leaving deep craters like Entumbane’s “pool of death” with council not knowing. A proper investigation should establish who is responsible.
They must be found and relevant sections of the Environmental Management Act would have to be invoked to compel them to rehabilitate the place.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter