The families of four children, aged between five to seven years, who drowned while playing in a river in the village of Manthe outside of Taung, North West have pleaded with the Naledi Local Municipality to assist them with burial expenses.
The bodies of twins Omatla Sereo (7), Oratile Sereo (7) and siblings Kago Katong (6), and Kabo Katong (5) were found by community members floating in the river on Tuesday.
Tshepo Sereo, an uncle to two of the boys, said the family had gone to the local municipality for assistance and that they had been promised aid, but that the aid had yet to materialise.
“A helping hand from them is hard to come by. They agreed to give us a truck to get the firewood, but it has been days and they still haven’t delivered on their word,” he said.
The families have requested water and anything else that might be useful in preparing for the funeral. Since the children were close, they’ve chosen to hold a joint funeral for them.
Tshwaro Katong expressed sadness over the loss of his brother’s children. “We are in grief, it’s not easy to lose two children at once, they were there to play and they drowned, there is nothing more to say, we are struggling with the funeral fees and arrangements, but it is scheduled for Thursday,” he said.
A local councillor, Mothusiotsile Mojanaga has assured the family that the municipality will provide help once they have followed all of the steps listed in the policy for the poor.
“It’s true that we have an indigent policy, and that “when there are families like this, we provide a coffin and the mortuary, but we will first need to make assessments together with the department of social development and if they qualify, we will help the family,” he said.
The North West Police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh has confirmed that inquest cases are being investigated by the Taung police station. “It was reported to the police late in the afternoon, and according to the information obtained, all four boys drowned, and their remains were retrieved by members of the community, she said.
The children will be buried on Thursday in Mathe village.
