POLOKWANE –

This follows the drowning of four children over the past weekend, due to the fact that most of the smaller dams and rivers have filled up considerably after good rains. The children drowned after misjudging the depth of dams and the strength of currents in the rivers they were swimming in.

During the weekend, a 9-year-old boy drowned in a dam near Moletji, near Seshego, while a 10-year-old boy drowned in the Letaba River. In another incident, a 9-year-old boy drowned in a waterhole at Mankweng, while a fourth boy (age unknown) drowned in a dam at Matlala. Police divers assisted with the recovery of the bodies.

With the very hot weather currently being experienced in the province, the police say they expect that more children will try to cool down by going for a swim. Although they regularly swim in groups, it was found that in most cases most of the victims did not know how to swim.

The police urged members of the public to make sure that an adult who knows how to swim accompany children when they go swimming.