BULAWAYO – Three young boys drowned in Gwayi River in Tsholotsho on Wednesday while swimming, police said.
The children from a village under Chief Tategulu drowned one after the other, the latter two while attempting rescue missions.
The police sub-aqua unit recovered the bodies of Ntobeko Sebele, 15, and brothers Methembe Dube, 14, and Mandlenkosi Dube, 12, on Thursday.
Tsholotsho RDC chairman Esau Siwela said: “The children were four when they left for fishing on Wednesday and it appears when they got to the fishing spot they decided to swim. The place has a deep gorge.
“Methembe was the first to go in and in a moment disappeared. The 15-year-old tried to rescue him and he disappeared. Mandlenkosi also tried to save them but slipped through and drowned.”
Siwela said the fourth boy, who was younger than the drowned trio, rushed home to alert the elders about the horror he had just witnessed.
“We managed to retrieve two of the boys on Thursday morning before the arrival of the police sub-aqua unit from Bulawayo. They only came after lunch because they said they did not have transport. They then retrieved the other body which was deep down,” Siwela said.
The Dube brothers are children of a Tsholotsho businessman who runs grocery shops called CutPrice.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Glory Bhanda said: “We appeal to parents not to let their children near water bodies without adult supervision to avoid tragedies like this one.”
