By Lungani Zungu
The year got off to a tragic start for the Makhoba family after four-year-old Amukelani Makhoba fell into a pit toilet and died on Tuesday.
The incident, which happened in Manguzi, in the far north of KwaZulu-Natal, has left the locals shocked.
Recounting the fateful day, Amukelani’s aunt, Sithobile, said the children were playing in the yard when they suddenly disappeared.
A few moments later, Amukelani’s six-year-old cousin, Thabo, came back and told the family breathlessly that Amukelani had fallen into a pit toilet.
“We all sped to the pit toilet, a few minutes away from the house. We tried rescuing him, but we couldn’t, and more community members came in to assist us,” she told Scrolla.Africa.
She said Amukelani’s cousins told them that he was relieving himself while his cousins were playing outside the toilet when he fell inside.
This horrific incident has left the family traumatised.
“We are all shattered and traumatised. Making matters worse is that we don’t know how we will bury our child, as his mother is unemployed. The situation is very dire here at home,” said the aunt.
She said this is not the way they had expected the year to start, as they had hoped for “a year filled with blessings for us as a family”.
The incident has raised the ire of the community, which is blaming the uMkhanyakude municipality – which Manguzi falls under – for failing to provide proper toilets for the destitute residents.
A local leader, Mdumiseni Mkhombo, said that for years the community had waited for the municipality to build toilets for them.
“But nothing has happened, and now, we lose the life of an innocent young boy….We have been warning the government that these toilets are a hazard to the community,” he said.
The municipality could not be reached for comment.
Local police confirmed the incident and said an inquest docket has been opened.
Pictured above: The pit toilet where Amukelani fell to his death
Picture source: Supplied
