Residents of Mofolo in Soweto on Sunday rushed to a large hole filled with water on an open field behind their back yards with buckets in hand. There, they frantically tried to scoop water out of the hole in a desperate but vain attempt to save their friend, 10-year-old Simphiwe Tshepo Moloi.
Simphiwe 's body was eventually recovered a few hours later by police divers.
Johannesburg Water dug the hole as part of a project that reportedly began three months ago. Large black water pipes lying close to the hole were evidence of the work in progress.
But on Tuesday, Simphiwe 's mother Patience was still in disbelief that her son had died in such a terrible manner just a few metres from her home.
When TimesLIVE Premium visited the family home, water was gushing from the ground and had created a small puddle in their yard.
A distraught Patience Moloi was seated in the bedroom. She recalled how on the morning of Simphiwe 's death, she had scolded him for not washing his school pants and socks.
“He was on punishment for not doing his laundry. I had told him to wash his pants and socks for school,” she said.
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He, however, managed to evade his chores and slipped out of the house, heading to play soccer with a group of friends on the open field just behind his home.
While he and his friends were kicking the ball around in Mofolo South, it rolled into the water.
A brave Simphiwe took it upon himself to retrieve the ball so the children could continue their game.
He took off his jeans, T-shirt and shoes and entered the water in his underwear. But he did not realise how deep the water was and was soon underwater.
“I heard my neighbour screaming. When I opened the blinds in my room I saw two police vehicles parked on the field. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but we went to go check because someone said a child fell into the water,” said the boy’s aunt, Kgomotso Moloi.
By that time, 30 minutes had passed since Simphiwe was last seen by his friends.
Divers were called and residents used buckets to scoop water out of the hole. Just after 2pm, a diver came out of the water, holding Simphiwe in her arms.
Kgomotso said she had hoped against hope he was still alive but received the devastating news that Tshepo had died.
Shortly thereafter, Simphiwe 's mother was called to the scene to identify her child.
“I didn’t believe it. It only hit me when he was zipped up in a body bag and put in the police [mortuary] vehicle,” she said. “I have lost a champion. He was filled with happiness and full of jokes. He loved soccer so much and did well at school. I feel so sad because of careless contractors.”
Officials from Johannesburg Water have conveyed their condolences to the family
In a statement issued on Monday, the entity said it was “saddened by the passing of 10-year-old Tshepo (Simphiwe) Moloi.
“He drowned on Sunday, August 27 2023, at a Johannesburg Water contractor's site in Mofolo.”
It said the MMC for environment and infrastructure services, councillor Jack Sekwaila, and a Johannesburg Water team visited the site and the boy’s family.
“There is a pool of groundwater at the shaft (Manhole MH — 90) where the child drowned. A case has been opened at the Moroka police station. The incident was reported to the department of employment and labour, which will conduct an independent investigation. An internal Johannesburg Water investigation is also under way to establish what led to this tragedy. The entity will fully co-operate with relevant authorities,” it said.
Meanwhile, a social worker from the department of social development arrived at the Moloi home to counsel and help the family.
On Tuesday, a contractor was at the site, closing the large hole. An employee on site said he was not part of the team that dug the hole but was instructed to supervise its closure.
A large excavator was loading sand into the body of water while just a few metres away Patience was sitting on a mattress in her house in accordance to custom.
Her son’s clothes were neatly folded next to her. A white candle was burning.
What pained the family was that they had no way of burying the young boy as none of them has a job.
Instead, Simphiwe and his siblings depended on the monthly child support grants.
Patience said her son's body had been at the government mortuary since his death as the family waits for municipal officials to assist.
“It’s as if our lives are of no value. And with load-shedding, I often wonder if the fridges at the mortuary are working or not,” said the distraught mother.
“Whenever I was sick, he would help me and offer to bath me. He would complain and say should I die, there would be no-one to take care of him. But now, I am the one who has to bury my son,” she said, weeping into her hands.
Patience said since Sunday, whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the image of her son waving at her.
Johannesburg Water said it could not comment further, adding police were investigating.
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