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Phalala River in Limpopo
Heavy rains in parts of Limpopo have brought pain to some families. Seven people have drowned in overflowing rivers in the past two months.
Two 10-year-old boys drowned in the Phalala River at Ga-Seleka outside Lephalale in Limpopo last week. The body of one of them is still missing.
Police have temporarily stopped the search due to the potential danger from wild animals in the river.
The mother of one of the boys who drowned outside Lephalale is struggling to come to terms with her son’s death.
Thapelo Maropola and a friend Jan Monare were swept away by a strong current on New Year’s Day.
They were swimming with friends when they drowned.
Maropola’s body has not been found despite a search by police and community members. His distraught mother has accused the police of abandoning the search prematurely.
The mother of the victim Martha Maropola says, “The drowning of my son very much hurts me. I am appealing to the police to hire divers so that they can retrieve my child. Only when they found my child can I find peace.”
The community says this is not the first drowning incident in the Phalala River. They say in 2020, two boys drowned and their bodies were never found.
Residents have continued the search for Maropola’s body, and they want the authorities to assist them.
A resident Samuel Matlou says, “We are here to search for ourselves because the police have failed us. We tied ropes in ourselves and searched. The police came here and used drones, they said they could not dive into the water because they were afraid of crocodiles, we decided to go in because we know there are no crocodiles in this river.”
Another resident Mohau Mojapelo adds, “What we want is government to call parents and have an awareness on how they can protect their kids during this rainy seasons.”
Police have cautioned residents to stay away from swollen rivers during rainy seasons. They say they temporarily abandoned the search for Maropola due to the potential danger posed by hippos and crocodiles in the river.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brig. Hlulani Mashaba says, “Divers were summoned to Phalala River after three people – two young boys and an adult – drowned on the 1st of January. The police worked closely with emergency services personnel and managed to retrieve two bodies and had to temporarily call off the search after coming after the hippo that eventually charged at the search team. This was not the first incident on the 7th of February 2024 a 10-year-old boy was allegedly attacked by a crocodile, that appeared on the river in Phalala River.”
Meanwhile, a man drowned in the same river several kilometres away at Thabo Mbeki village on New Year’s Day, the same day the two boys drowned.
His body was recovered.
Two boys also drowned in the Luvuvhu River outside Saselemani.
In another incident, two boys drowned while fishing at the Kgwaritsi River in the Sekhukhune district two months ago.
