The family of 17-year-old Mutshidzi Mukwevho, who drowned in a waterfall in Nwanedi while swimming, said they were struggling to come to terms with his sudden passing.
Mutshidzi, a Grade 11 learner at Masereni Secondary School in Khomele, was swimming with two others at the waterfall on Saturday when the tragic incident occurred.
After news of his drowning spread, community members gathered at the waterfall while divers attempted to search for his body. As night fell, some residents kept vigil at the scene until the following morning. His body was eventually retrieved on Sunday afternoon.
Mutshidzi's grandmother, Ms Grace Mukwevho, said she was shocked by the news of his passing as he was supposed to be working at home. "I had asked him to organise irrigation drips for me, so we could water some beans here at home. Before he left, I heard him talking to the herd boy who was taking the cattle out for grazing. I didn't realise he had also gone," she said.
Ms Mukwevho only became aware something was wrong when one of the boys called her that afternoon. "When I called, he asked if I had sent Mutshidzi to him as he saw his clothes at the banks of the waterfall. I was so surprised, but later I learned that he was just afraid to break the sad news to me and that they had been together when he drowned. The incident has broken my heart," she said.
Ms Mukwevho described Mutshidzi as her own child. "Since his early childhood, I have cared for him and watched him grow. He failed Grade 11 last year, but we encouraged him not to give up and to repeat the class, which he was doing. He was such a wonderful boy, and never in my wildest dreams did I think his life would end this way. As we speak now, we are preparing for his funeral, which we plan for the weekend. However, this depends on the police, who still need to perform the postmortem," she said.