Shock and grief have engulfed Makonde Shadani village outside Thohoyandou after a five-year-old boy who went missing from his home was found dead, floating in the nearby Mutale River. The circumstances surrounding his death have left the community searching for answers.
Nndwaasiyashu Tanzwani was reported missing on Saturday, 2 May, after he disappeared from his family home at around 15:00. The grief-stricken boy’s aunt, Ms Nkhanedzeni Tanzwani Mudzweda, said the incident had shocked the family.
“We do not know what actually happened. That morning, the mother and one of the older children went to the river to do some laundry and came back in the afternoon at around 15:00. The boy was at home with another child. Tired from doing laundry, the mother and the children took a nap and, on waking up, discovered that the child was gone,” said Tanzwani.
An intensive search operation involving relatives, community members and police was immediately launched. The search came to a tragic end on Monday, 4 May, when the boy’s lifeless body was discovered in the Mutale River.
Tanzwani said the incident came as a surprise.
“This is the first time he went there. We are baffled by the whole incident. We do not know what really happened. What we are doing now is preparing for his burial,” Tanzwani said. The funeral is planned for Saturday.
Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba confirmed the incident, saying Thohoyandou police had opened an inquest docket. He confirmed that the child’s mother identified the body.
Local traditional leader, Vhakoma Vho Fhatuwani Ravhura, said the incident had raised serious concerns within the community.
“While we await a full report, there are many unanswered questions. How did a five-year-old child get to the river? How did he end up in the water? These are issues that deeply trouble us,” he said.
Ravhura added that the tragedy comes barely a month after another unsettling incident in the same village, where a local man was found shot dead under mysterious circumstances. No arrests have been made in that case.
“It is worrying that such incidents are happening so close together. We are not pointing fingers, but as a community we are becoming suspicious. We need unity and vigilance to confront whatever may be happening around us,” he said.
Ravhura further said they would rely on police to unravel the mystery in the village.