Body of 13-year-old boy retrieved from canal

THE BODY of a 13-year-old boy from Bonita Park in Hartswater was retrieved on Thursday after he drowned in the Vaalharts main canal earlier this week.

Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said the boy drowned on October 15.

“It was reported that on the day of the incident, at around 4pm, the child disappeared under the water while swimming in the canal. The South African Police Service (SAPS) divers were immediately dispatched to the site to search for him,” said Mavasa.

She added that the DWS and the Vaalharts Water Users Association (WUA), which manages the canal, had engaged with Phokwane Local Municipality, the community and the parents of the child as the police worked around the clock to retrieve the body.

“The Vaalharts WUA opened all head sluices in its weirs along the canal to prevent the child from getting stuck.”

Mavasa said that the canal was running at full capacity as the WUA had undertaken maintenance over the past weekend on dams in the Taung area.

“The water is currently running at 1.3 metres per second in speed and volume, where it could increase to up to 100,000 cubic metres per hour. This means the water levels could not be decreased at the time to allow easier access without putting rescuer’s lives in danger.”

She indicated that the Vaalharts main canal stretched about 140 kilometres from the Vaal River at Warrenton and passed through the towns of Jan Kempdorp, Hartswater, Magogong, and Taung, ending at the Pudimoe Water Treatment Works where potable water was channelled to Vryburg in the North West.

Mavasa appealed to community members not to swim, fish or engage in any recreational activities near the canal, to prevent drownings and loss of life.

“The DWS and the Vaalharts WUA have put up ‘no swimming’ signs along the canal as a precaution.”

She also urged parents to keep children away from the canal’s strong currents.

She added that the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Sello Seithlolo, planned to visit the area tomorrow to assess the situation.