There were tears and devastation in Nyanga yesterday as the parents of the four children who died after falling into a sinkhole tried to come to terms with the tragedy.
The bodies of friends Iva Kalikopu, 13, Nqabayethu Mlaza, 12, Axolile Mambangula, 11, Azola Quweni, 13, were recovered by emergency crews on Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday morning after they fell into a huge sinkhole near the intersection of the N2 highway and Borcherds Quarry.
The boys were playing on the embankment of the bridge and it’s believed the sinkhole formed due to residents digging sand in the area to use as protection against floods in their homes.
The hole was about four metres wide and three metres deep.
On Tuesday, when the Daily Voice visited the scene, it was being closed by council workers using a digger loader.
According to Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse, the boys all suffocated in the loose sand that fell on top of them.
“It still feels like a dream,” cried Landelwa Mlaza, 40, the mother of Nqabayethu.
The 13-year-old has a twin sister, Musawenkosi, who was equally devastated and looked lost.
“I still do not know what I will do. I left him sleeping when I left for work,” says the mom.
“I got a call from his sister that the sand they were playing in caved in.”
The mom says she immediately left work and arrived at the scene where the residents were stopped to let the emergency workers do the digging.
She and mothers Fundiswa Kalikopu, Thuliswa Mabangula and Nonkoliseko Quweni were in agony watching the hours pass as the crews worked. Three hours later, at about 6pm, the first two bodies were recovered, and a paramedic came to the parents to describe the clothes on the body.
The four mothers clung to each other for comfort.
The body of the third boy was recovered just after 9pm and search operations continued throughout the night.
“At 2.21 on Tuesday morning, the body of a fourth boy was discovered,” Carelse added.
Carelse said it was difficult to retrieve the bodies due to loose sand continually falling into the hole, amid fears that the sinkhole could collapse further: “It was extremely difficult, and we had to be careful as you don't want to further cause harm to the bodies.”
Landelwa said her daughter and son were very close.
“She is not taking it well, they are one. I do not know how she live without her twin brother.
“She was crying all night and nothing can comfort her.”
The mothers said they are now preparing to bury the boys but are facing financial difficulties.
“It is difficult for all the families, no one expected this to happen. We need assistance with the burial of the children,” she said.
The incident happened about 200 metres from the children’s homes.
Local councillor Khaya Yozi says since the 1980s, the area where the children were playing had been used as an informal soccer pitch by residents, as there are no amenities.
“While growing up I used to play soccer there,” he said.
However, Mayor Dan Plato, who visited the scene and expressed his condolences, said there were “enough play parks in Nyanga”.
“If you drive down this main road on the left side, you will see one of the biggest sporting fields.
“Then when you pass Nyanga Police station, there is a massive play park, a brand new play park constructed by the City.”
But Yozi said the mayor was lying: “That is not true, how many areas do we have to fit in two parks?
“All the parks he is talking about are always full of children from around Nyanga. We need recreational spaces in Nyanga.”