As the festive season is underway and rains fall, there is a rise of water or floods causing disruptions in people’s lives.
Three people have died in the Waterberg Zone 3 policing area in the past 4 days.
On Monday, 27 December 2021 an 8-year-old Sydney Mokoena from Leswaneng Section in Shongoane 1 was swept away by water in Palala River.
He was among the six children who went to the river in the afternoon in the midst of constant rains of December.
Those in his company immediately notified the community on what happened and a search rescue consisting of Air Wings, K9 and the senior officials of Villa Nora police was carried on.
The rescue team could not initially find his body in the first 30 hours after his disappearance.
It was on Wednesday morning when the wife of the Station Commander of Villa Nora SAPS went to Palala river in Mokuruanyane, approximately 16 kilometres away from where Mokoena was swept away, that she, in the company of others saw his body floating on the river.
She quickly alerted her husband, Captain Lazarus Selokela who was part of the search rescue as Station Commander of Villa Nora SAPS and he informed other units so that they could retrieve his body.
During the time of retrieving Mokoena’s body, police say, there were other kids loitering near the river with no one monitoring them.
On Tuesday, 28 December 2021, three people who had gone camping were on a boat when it suddenly disappeared in Mokolo dam.
The following day a search rescue discovered the body of an 11- year- old Ruan van der Merwe and continued searching for the other two.
On Thursday morning the remaining two bodies of Edwin Weber (57) and Mariete Weber (55) were discovered, also in Mokolo river.
Police in Bulgerivier said a helicopter had to be used to retrieve one of the bodies as the location it was trapped in was no easily accessible.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has cautioned communities to be extra careful when crossing rivers and boating to avoid drownings.
“As the persistent rains continue to fall across the province, rivers and dams are becoming full, posing possible drowning incidents. We therefore urge everyone to be extremely cautious during this rainy period and parents as well as guardians should always be vigilant of the whereabouts of their children”,said Hadebe.