Update

GEORGE NEWS - The residents of Thembalethu are calling for the construction of a safe public swimming pool following the tragic drowning of a 15-year-old boy in a dam near Jonga High School on Saturday 21 February.

Police divers recovered the boy’s body from the water after some family members had called for assistance shortly after 11:00. 

According to information from the scene, the teenager had gone swimming at the dam with some friends when he got into difficulty in the water. 

His friends tried to help and searched for him, but were unable to find him.

The Thembalethu Police have opened an inquest docket. The Garden Route District Police’s communications and liaison officer, Commander Malcolm Pojie, confirmed the matter remains under investigation and asked readers not to speculate.

Following the tragedy, community members have raised their concerns about the lack of safe recreational facilities for the children in the area. 

The dam in question is not intended for swimming and it is believed that repeated drownings have taken place there. 

The residents maintain that if they had access to a controlled public swimming pool, it could prevent these drownings from happening. 

“We wish our children had a swimming pool here in Thembalethu so that they can take swimming lessons and learn how to swim,” Lindelwa Shumani Monica commented on George Herald’s Facebook post after the incident. “We have lost so many kids in that dam.”

Others urged the authorities to prioritise the construction of a community swimming pool to provide a safe environment for children and reduce the risk of further drownings. 

“Thembalethu has expanded and a community pool is needed,” said ‘Lk’ Shiloh in another comment.

Dams and other open-water sources are often used by children in communities without formal recreational facilities, particularly during warm weather, increasing the risk of accidental drownings. The nearest public swimming pool is located in Conville.

• George Herald reached out to the victim’s family members for comment, but at the time of publishing, they could not be reached. Should contact be established in the near future, any comment from the family will be added to this article.

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