Three boys drown in builders’ ditch: Principal bemoans loss of ‘maths geniuses’

Three little boys, described as “maths geniuses” by their distraught headmaster, drowned in a muddy, flooded ditch dug by contractors.

Mchubakazi village in Gxulu near Libode was in deep shock following the drowning on Wednesday of Lisakhanya Kumalo, 8, his cousin Ukhona Shenxane, 9, and their close friend, Aphelele Nyutasi, 8.

Their clothes were found next to the ditch, and two of the bodies were seen floating.

The ditch is about 700m from their homes in Mchubakazi village.

Lisakhanya and Aphelele were Grade 3 pupils at Gxulu Junior Secondary school and Ukhona was in Grade 4.

Mchubakazi villagers said the ditch the three boys drowned in on Wednesday was left open by a contractor who was installing the underground water pipes meant to deliver water to Libode.

When the Dispatch visited the area a supervisor working for the contractor denied this, saying they always filled their trenches after pipes had been laid or while works were ongoing.

The supervisor would not give his name to the Dispatch but he said they had been installing an air valve at the spot where the children drowned.

“We backfilled using soft sand as we were going to build it up, but the sand was washed away,” he explained, adding that a heavy downpour had taken them by surprise.

Asked why it was still not covered properly, he said they always put up fencing to cordon off trenches but it was stolen by villagers.

Mthatha police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela yesterday confirmed that police had opened three inquest dockets.

“It seems they went for a swim in an open ditch. It was not fenced and had filled up with water following heavy rain,” he said.

Lisakhanya and Ukhona were staying in the village with their grandmother, Notheko Shenxane, who is a teacher at Gxulu JSS.

Shenxane told the Dispatch that she was away in Port St Johns when she received a phone call telling her the dreadful news.

A tearful Shenxane blamed the contractor for not putting up warning signs next to the ditch or at least cordoning it off so that young children could not enter.

Aphelele’s elder brother, Siqatsho Maphiswa, said the pain of losing him at such a tender age was unbearable. It was tragic that a service delivery project had taken his young life.

“We thought these things were meant to help us but now it has taken our child,” he said.

Simbongile Madulini, 19, who was among the first to arrive on the scene, said they found the naked bodies of Ukhona and Aphelele floating.

An excavator belonging to the contractor was used to search for the third body, which they did not find until 7pm.

Gxulu school principal, Tabile Kunene described the deceased trio as “maths geniuses”.

“If you look at the trophies at our school, they contributed to maths, and they also sang in our junior choir. The teachers are not taking this well.”

lThe Dispatch tried calling the construction company on a given landline number which does not exist, and a cell number which went straight to voicemail. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za