SEARCH FOR MISSING HERDBOY CALLED OFF

MBABANE - A herdboy, who is believed to have drowned in the flooded Ngwempisi River on Tuesday, is still missing.

The search for Celumusa Mabuza’s body by the police scuba divers and community search party has not yielded fruits so far. 

In an interview, Sipho Ngwenya, who is Bhadzeni II Bucopho, said they had since given up on the search after failing to locate Mabuzaʼs remains. He said the community search party and police had abandoned the mission but were hoping to return for the search when the water levels had declined. 

“Currently, the river is flooded and it is difficult to search properly. We hope that when the water levels have declined, the body will eventually float to the surface,” said Ngwenya. 

He stated that they had found slippers, which were worn by Mabuza before he drowned on Tuesday noon. 

According to Ngwenya, the deceased was at work herding cattle when he decided to follow two friends who crossed over the flooded river. He said it was gathered that the friends waited for him on the other side but he did not make it. 

Ngwenya said the friends raised the alarm that Mabuza had drowned. 

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said they had opened a missing person’s docket pending investigation. 

Mabuza is one of four people who drowned since Sunday, following the torrential rains that were experienced on Sunday as a result of Cyclone Eloise.

The first incident happened on January 24 at 4pm where traditional healer Elliot ‘Black Cat’ Fakudze aged 62 and a woman (27) of Mndobandoba drowned after the vehicle they were travelling in, a white Toyota Fortuner, was swept away while trying to cross the flooded Mndobandoba River.  

The vehicle was driven by  Fakudze and he was travelling with his neighbour and his two sons.

The sons survived the incident.

The other incident happened on the same day at 7pm, when a two-year-old baby boy, who was carried by his mother, drowned while crossing Mfulamuni River at Sigangeni.

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