Five year old drowns behind church

A sombre mood prevails at the home of the Mulaudzi family of Itsani outside Thohoyandou after one of the  family’s twins drowned behind the church where the mother was cleaning in preparation for a service the following day.

Twins Idani and Ipfani (5) were playing inside the church, while their mother was busy with her chores when the two left the church unnoticed to play outside. In a short while, one of the twins was gone and his body was later retrieved by community members.

The church in question is right on the river that flows behind the church building and separates Itsani from Shayandima, at the Savhadina Bridge. The incident that happened at around 16:30, said shocked residents of Shayandima and Itsani who had gathered at the scene.

The deceased child’s mother, Ms Phyllis Mulaudzi, said she was busy in the church and that the twins were playing together when they swiftly went out of sight from her without her noticing. “It did not take long before Ipfani came running to tell us that his brother had fallen into the water at the back of the church. We rushed out and went to look for him in the water, but we could not locate him."

She said that they then called the pastor and other members of the community who came and searched the water and later retrieved the body, using a step ladder. Mulaudzi further indicated that it was just an unfortunate day for her as she used to come with them on a number of occasions but they did not go to the water. “As a mother I am very sad, but I am not blaming anyone for the misfortune. Mistakes do happen sometimes as a wake-up call for the community to do something about a situation. I just have hope that the community will erect a fence along the river to avert further incidents of this nature,” she said.

Mr Titus Nemakonde, one of the oldest residents in the area, said it was not the first time a child had drowned at the spot. “In 1982, a child was swallowed by this water and somewhere in between another one drowned here. We started to suspect that there was a snake that was killing children here,” he said.

The dead child’s grandmother, Salphy Mulaudzi, said it felt like a part of her had been taken away. “I was called from the church by one of my grandchildren, who did not even tell me what was happening. I rushed home, only to find that there was no one and was told people were at the church. When I arrived, I saw the tiny body of my grandchild wrapped in a cloth inside the church."

She said that she had bonded with the twins and they were just like her own children. "I will miss him a lot," she said.

Before the body could be taken away, many members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church arrived and supported the family with some prayers. One of the members, Alex Nemakonde, said they heard about the tragedy and decided to come and comfort the family. “We are touched as a church and we are here to offer prayers to the family in these difficult times,” he said.

Community structures called on the church to erect a fence to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Constable Avhafarei Tshiovhe confirmed the incident and said they had opened an inquest docket. “Our urge is that parents should take care of their children as summer is just at the doorstep. Parents should know where their children are and should warn them against the dangers of swimming in rivers and pools without supervision,” she said.

Date:11 September 2016

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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