Jaar / Year 4 - Uitgawe / Issue 298 Tel: 017 712 6165
Faks/Fax 017 712 1708
FREE / GRATIS Sel/Cell: 076 411 2028
Vrydag / Friday 13 Maart/March 2015 E-pos / E-mail:standerton@cosmosn.co.za
Distribusie-area: Standerton, Morgenzon, Balfour, Vrede, Trichardt, Secunda, Bethal, Volksrust, Ermelo en omgewing
Young boy drowns
STANDERTON - What was supposed to be a fun and exciting excursion for a group of young boys, turned into a nightmare for the family and friends of one boy. A group of boys decided on Saturday afternoon, 7 March, to cross the river on the farm Roodekoppies to explore and play on the other side. They crossed the river without incident but when it turned late they had to cross the river again. Only a few metres from the opposite side, it is assumed that the 8-year-old boy lost his footing and drowned. The young boy’s parents were called to the scene where they stayed through the night until rescue divers, from the Highveld as well as the Lowveld, attended to the scene at 08:00 on Sunday morning. One of the young boy’s friends was called to show where he last saw his friend and where he disappeared under the water. The rescue dog, Vector, and his handler, Sergeant Tinalia van der Merwe, from Volksrust took to the water with a raft to try and pinpoint the location of the body. Vector responded several times, where after Constable FP Joubert (Nemo) tried to retrieve the body. As there were too many hazards in the water, due to a bridge that was taken down a few years ago, he had to wait for backup divers from the Lowveld to arrive. Luckily those divers were already close-by and arrived only a few minutes later and Constable Joubert, in full diving gear took to the water. Boy Dhlamini’s body was retrieved within 10 minutes after Joubert started diving, using the pendulum method. The family, who were still on the scene, identified the body and the official investigation is underway. According to Captain JJ Grobler of the dive team, the body of a 7-year-old boy was recovered the previous day in a swimming pool at Lake Umuzi in Secunda. Children flock to the water to cool off and most of them cannot swim properly. The moment they get water in the face, they panic with catastrophic results. JD
Sergeant Tinalia van der Merwe and her dog Vector, from the K9 search and rescue unit from Volksrust, searching for any signs of the young boy’s body.
Constable FP Joubert, also known as Nemo due to the fact that he does rescue dives almost every day, in the process of combing the river in search of the young boys body while Sergeant Tinalia van der Merwe acts as rope man.