SOUTH AFRICA, DURBAN – The families of three children who died on Saturday after they were electrocuted have criticised uMsunduzi municipal officials.
The bodies of six-year-old Gift Dlamini and eight-year-olds Ernest Dekwa and Buhlebuyeza Jili were recovered from a stream, which had an electric cable placed in the water.
Residents of the Jika Joe informal settlement have told Eyewitness News that Dlamini, Jili and Dekwa were playing with two other children when they decided to jump into the stream at the weekend.
While two children survived, one is reportedly traumatised by the incident and requires psychological intervention.
Mduduzi Luthuli recovered the bodies of the children: “This incident has really devastated the community, everyone is hurt.”
Meanwhile, local councillor Suraya Reddy has criticised uMsunduzi city officials including Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla.
“Because this is a DA-run ward, I find that whenever I make a request for the ward, it wouldn’t come or I would have to beg for it. Let’s take, for example, the matter of these three kids, this happened on Saturday and we haven’t had anybody from the city to come through.”
At the same time, KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance MEC Sipho Hlomuka has called for a thorough investigation into the deaths of the three boys.
EWN
