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Whinsley Masara
THREE minors drowned last week in separate incidents in Bulawayo and Kamativi in Matabeleland North during swimming escapades.
Two of the children were neighbours in Cowdray Park suburb, aged nine and eight.
They were both in Grade 1 and they drowned in a pit within their suburb between 5 and 6pm on their way from school on Wednesday.
The other incident occurred at around 3pm on Thursday in Pashu village under Chief Nekatambe in Kamativi , where a five-year-old who was in the company of an eight and 15-year-old, slipped and fell into a dip tank after she had insisted on wanting to swim.
Bulawayo Metropolitan police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango said the victims in the first incident, were last seen by other pupils on their way from school.
She said one of the victims’ father and a neighbour discovered the two bodies during a search party.
“Police in Bulawayo are investigating a case of drowning of children aged nine and eight years of Cowdray Park suburb. The two minors who were both doing Grade 1 respectively, drowned during a swimming adventure while on their way from school.
“Other children who saw them swimming advised a father of one of the victims that the two were swimming in a pit. The father proceeded to the said pit but didn’t see them, finding only clothes belonging to one of them,” said Chief Insp Simango.
She said the father thought maybe the kids had run away on seeing him and so he returned home, hoping to find them there.
“He went back home to check if they had arrived but they were not there. He then went back along with his neighbour for thorough searching that is when they discovered their bodies in water.
“The matter was reported to police and the bodies were retrieved from the about 1.7 metres pit. They were conveyed to United Bulawayo Hospitals mortuary,” said Chief Insp Simango.
In Matabeleland North, police spokesperson Chief Insp Siphiwe Makonese said the minor slipped and fell into a dip tank while being adventurous.
She said the victim was unfortunately walking in the company of two older children who, however, did not watch on her while near the water body.
“The minor slipped and fell into the dip tank after she kept peeping insisting on wanting to take a swim.”
Police are appealing to members of the public to urge their children to desist from swimming in any open water bodies.
derick.khumalo