Durban - The uMhlathuze Municipality says it has warned residents several times not to swim at a makeshift “dam” that has been created at an abandoned quarry mine in eNseleni, Empangeni.
Last week, 42-year Ndoda Manqele drowned while swimming in the dam.
Mabutho Manqele said yesterday that his brother loved swimming and his death had been painful for the family to accept.
Manqele said his brother drowned last Thursday and his body was found the following day.
“We are devastated about his passing, but we are thankful that we found his body with the assistance of police and rescuers. We were scared that we would not find his body after he was not found on the day he drowned.”
Manqele said even after his brother’s death, residents were not deterred from swimming at the spot and were flocking to the “dam” to swim.
“Ndoda dived into a hole, he had blood on his nose and mouth, and the police suspect he was hit by a stone inside the dam.
“It is very sad to see people still flocking there to swim, others had parties there, they are not scared,” Manqele said.
The area in which the dam is situated is under tribal authority under the Khoza traditional leadership.
UMhlathuze Municipality spokesperson Bongani Gina said there were ongoing talks regarding the closure of the mine.
“That place is a tribal area under the Khoza tribal authority. The dam is not monitored by lifeguards and it is not regulated for swimming. We are in talks to shut the place down and we are in the process of finding the private company that left the place so that we can talk with them.
“People are still going there and it is sad to see that, but after we meet the Khoza traditional leadership, actions will be taken,” Gina said.
Musawakhe Mthethwa, ward councillor for the area where the dam is situated, said he was worried about how people had turned such an unsafe place into a recreational spot. “People started to swim there on December 24 and ever since the numbers have increased.
“We have seen this dam and the state of it and as the uMhlathuze Municipality, we have been going to schools and churches to warn residents against swimming there.
“After the death, I thought people would stop going there but they still do,” said Mthethwa.
“When you warn them they do not even listen to you which makes this whole situation difficult,” he added.
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that Empangeni Dive Point and the Empangeni Search and Rescue teams recovered Manqele’s body on Friday.
“Police have opened an inquest docket after the body of a 42-year-old man was recovered by the Empangeni Dive Point and the Empangeni Search and Rescue teams at the Mayeni Dam in eNseleni on Friday.
“The man reportedly drowned on Thursday,” said Netshiunda.
