The body of a 33-year-old man was recovered from the river near Windsorton on Sunday. Picture: Supplied
COMMUNITY members and relatives have expressed their dissatisfaction over delays in the retrieval of the body of a 33-year-old Windsorton resident, who is believed to have drowned in the river on December 14.
A community member highlighted concerns regarding the availability of police resources, stating that there were only two police officers manning the Windsorton police station.
“At the time the drowning was reported, at around 3pm on Saturday, the officers were attending to another scene and had closed the police station,” said the concerned community member.
“The SAPS search-and-rescue team in the Northern Cape was in Port Nolloth, so a team had to be dispatched from Bloemfontein to assist. It was very traumatic for the family, who had to wait until the next day before the body was recovered.”
He further expressed concern that during the festive season and hot weather, children and community members would be venturing into rivers and other water sources to cool off.
“This is while there is no search-and-rescue team in the province,” he said.
The community member added that despite a new intake of police officers in the Northern Cape, the Windsorton police station remained understaffed and under-resourced.
“Despite promises of additional officers being deployed in December, nothing has materialised. There are not enough vehicles to attend to scenes. Memorandums that were handed over and protest marches that were held have done little to improve the situation,” he said.
SAPS provincial spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said the Windsorton police had opened an inquest case docket following the discovery of the body of a 33-year-old man in the Vaal River near Windsorton on December 15.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the deceased, who was with friends at the river for fishing, went into the water to fix a fishing line when he went under the water and did not resurface. The police are investigating the circumstances that led to this tragic loss of life. Police investigations are continuing.” Sam stated.