Mpumalanga police in Calcutta and Mhala near Bushbuckridge are warning parents to guard their children to avoid more drowning incidents in river and dams.
This came after two separate incidents of drowning were reported at the two police stations.
Police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the first incident happened at Damphiries Village in the Mhala policing area where four kids reportedly went to swim at the river but one drowned.
“We had similar incidents at Mkuhlu in the Calcutta police area where another group of kids went to swim but unfortunately two of them reportedly drowned.
“In both incidents police have open inquest cases and the ages of the deceased are between 12 and 14.
“We’re appealing to parents to make sure they look after their children more especially as the schools haven’t yet opened,” he said.
Hlathi said kids end up going to dams and rivers to swim due to the hot weather and boredom.
“This ends up posing a danger to their lives because they don’t have adequate training to swim.
“We want to send a strong warning to fisherman to refrain from going to rivers and dams because when the rivers are full, crocodiles can attack them,” he said.
