Police find drowned pupils
Koketso Kgoboge | Tuesday February 11, 2020 17:00
The two pupils of Kelele Primary School in Mmadinare met their fate yesterday when they were walking home from school. The school is on the other side of Sampopelo stream while their homes are on the other side.
After school the two cousins found the stream had flooded. According to superintendent Meshack Pulenyane the duo’s uncle witnessed the fatal moment, but could not save their lives.
The girl slipped into the swiftly moving storm water and when the uncle attempted to reach for her, the water swiftly swept the boy away too. When giving his account, the uncle informed the police that he tried to chase after them on the bank of the flowing stream until the children disappeared into the water. After failing to rescue the children, he then went to report the incident.
The police opened a search for the two yesterday. They discovered the pupils’ lifeless bodies this morning in Motloutse River less than five kilometres from where the incident occurred. Sampopelo stream feeds Motloutse.“The children were certified dead upon arrival at Mmadinare Primary Hospital where their bodies are still kept in the mortuary,” the Selebi-Phikwe station commander said.
He said the deceased pupils usually crossed the stream on the way to school and back home, but on the fateful day the stream had already flooded during school hours. Pulenyane also confirmed most of the water came from areas as far as Serule, where torrential rains were reported. “It did not rain heavily in Mmadinare, despite the floods.”He encouraged parents of children particularly in the lower primary school classes to make it a habit to collect their younglings from school in the rainy seasons.