Drowning of 13-year-old boy sparks urgent call for safety around water canals

The department of water & sanitation's deputy minister Sello Seitlholo has called for collaborative efforts between government and communities regarding public safety around water resources.

This comes after the recent drowning of a 13-year-old boy from Bonita Park. The boy drowned while swimming at the Vaalharts main canal in Hartswater, Northern Cape last week.

Seitlholo visited the grieving family and emphasised government's commitment to community education on safety measures near water resources.

“I visited the family to send condolences on behalf of the department. Government has a responsibility to show families we care and to explain why we cannot fence the canals. No parent should bury a child,” said Seitlholo.

The deputy minister inspected the canal where the incident occurred.

“I’m concerned by incidents of drowning in this community. We’ve engaged consistently with the Water User Association on what we can do as a department to prevent future drownings, he said.

During his visit to Bonita Park, Seitlholo met with the Vaalharts Water User Association (WUA) and representatives from the Phokwane municipality to address the safety concerns.

“The WUA is undergoing capacity building and has identified volunteers who are being trained on how to behave around water and has taken the programme to schools. We hope we will have individuals within a radius who will be able to respond quickly to incidents of drowning,” he said.

The boy's body was retrieved last Thursday about 20km from where he drowned, between Magogong and Taung.

The incident sparked discussions about the safety of the Vaalharts main canal, which spans about 140km and is a key component of the Vaalharts Water Scheme, which manages around 1,200km of canals that serve the area.

While the community said fencing the canal might be a solution, the deputy minister said that it is not sustainable due to past incidents of theft.

“Fencing is unfortunately not a sustainable solution to future incidents of drowning. The department conducted the decommissioning of fencing when the fences around the canals were stolen.”

The department of water & sanitation and the WUA issued stern warnings to communities against swimming and engaging in recreational activities in the canals as this poses significant drowning risks.

Seitlholo said: “We will continue with efforts to educate communities living around canals about safety so they desist from using canals for recreational purposes.”

TimesLIVE