The body of the 23-year-old Ndivhuwo Luruli from Tshithuni Hamalema, who drowned in the Nzhelele River on Monday afternoon, has been found. Police divers retrieved his body on Tuesday morning, 24 February, at around 08:00.
The incident has left his family and community devastated. According to his brother, Rofhiwa Luruli, Ndivhuwo removed his flip-flops, hat, and cellphone and handed them to a friend before entering the water. The tragedy occurred at around 16:00 on Monday.
“He jumped into the river and came back up once,” said Rofhiwa. “After that, he went down again and never resurfaced.”
Other boys who were swimming nearby were sent to call for help. They returned with community members, who immediately began searching for him. Police were notified, but the family was told that divers could not operate at night. Community members continued searching for Ndivhuwo until 23:00, hoping for a miracle.
Ndivhuwo leaves behind his parents, three older brothers, and one sister.
“He was still young and had a lot of opportunities ahead of him,” said his brother. “We are deeply hurt as a family.”
Police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drowning.