THE Sekgota family in Bolobedu is still reeling from the shock after a pit they had dug to use as a toilet turned into a grave for their son

This follows the discovery yesterday of the body of a six-year-old boy in a pit that was filled with water during torrential rains at the weekend.

The boy, John Sekgota, was left alone at home to play, while his parents were attending to other matters.

The boy's parents allegedly arrived home to discover he was nowhere to be seen. His friends and neighbours could also not explain where the boy was.

A day after his disappearance his family lost hope of ever finding him and went to the Bolobedu police station to open a missing person case.

"At first we thought he had spent the night at his friends' place since there was a farewell party at the local primary school," the boy's grandmother, Nancy Mohale, said yesterday.

"But after the second day we realised there was a problem. We mobilised the community to help us search for the boy, but still there was no sign of him," she said.

Mohale, who was still struggling to come to terms with the incident, said one of the neighbours advised them to search in the water in the pit.

The boy's clothes were allegedly found floating in the water of the 1,5m-deep pit.

"We were shocked to see the boy's body emerging from the water," she said.

Mohale said they were optimistic the boy would go places in life because he was one of the brightest at his school.

"He wanted to be a doctor when he finished school."