MKHULU, GRANDDAUGHTER FALL INTO MAIZE STORAGE TANK, DIE

PIGG’S PEAK – Tragedy befell a family of Ntfonjeni, when an elderly man and his granddaughter reportedly fell into a maize storage tank (silo) and died.

The incident happened at Sidvwashini, near Mswati High School, on Sunday night. Sources said the death of the two Lulane family members remained a mystery as their bodied were found inside the maize storage tank, with bloodstains. A family member, who preferred to comment on condition of anonymity, because other family members were still to be informed of the incident, confirmed the death of the elderly man, He said Msweli Lulane was his uncle and a close relative to the minor. He said his uncle had reached the age of 60 and was benefiting from the government elderly grant. The deceased girl, whose identity could not be established, was said to be about 10 years old.

Maize

“What happened is that my uncle’s wife asked him to transport bambara groundnuts (tindlubu) to Matsamo. She further asked him to pass by the hammer mill (esigayweni) and grind maize. The girl was then asked to go to the maize storage tank to get the maize,” said the relative. He narrate that the young girl did not return from the maize storage tank. “They wondered where she could have gone. My uncle decided to go and check the maize storage tank to establish what was delaying her. Apparently, when he got there, he found his granddaughter to have fallen into the tank and instead of calling for help, he decided to rescue her himself. It seems as if while trying to rescue his granddaughter, he also fell into the tank, hitting the basement with his head,” said the nephew.

He said the maize was at a low level in the tank and a weevil tablet had been put inside but it was apparently ineffective as it had expired. “A bit later, the family became worried as my uncle also did not come back. His wife asked my younger cousin to go and check what was going on at the maize storage tank. After calling for them and searching around, he decided to check inside the storage tank and saw them both lying inside. He called for help,” said the relative. Family members are said to have rushed to try and save them by pushing the tank to the ground. They were then able to first pull out the elderly man, who vomited blood and then died shortly. According to the relative, the young girl was found to have been long dead when they pulled her out of the tank.

Police were called to the scene and the bodies of the deceased persons were taken to a health facility and later to a mortuary. The nephew of the elderly man said what was puzzling was that his uncle was found with blood and a scar on the forehead, while the minor had blood coming out of her mouth and nose. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. “She fell into a maize storage tank with her grandfather and they both died,” she said.
 

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