A trip to the local river to wash a tent at Diphagane village near Jane Furse in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, ended tragically at the weekend when two men drowned.
Police spokesperson Const Moses Molepo confirmed three men aged between 16 and 33 went to the local Ngwaritsi river to wash a tent.
“After washing the tent, the three men apparently jumped into the river to cool off. Two of them, Mokhine Tiisetso Moriti, 20, and Koketso Mokgele Kolo, 16, drowned. The third man, Ronnie Phahlamohlaka, 33, just managed to emerge out of the water alive,” said Molepo.
Villagers retrieved the bodies of the two men from the river before police divers arrived. Police have urged members of the public with no swimming skills not to enter rivers and dams.
“We advise people to attend basic swimming classes before attempting to swim and before trying to save others, as this is not the first incident to happen.”
[Story by Montsho Matlala appeared in The New Age]