The discovery of Khayalethu Magadla’s body has brought his family a “sense of relief” and closure. After an almost 21-day search, Khayalethu’s body was discovered at the Eldorado Park Cemetery wastewater treatment facility on Saturday. On 12 June 2022, Khayalethu Magadla was playing with friends when he slipped and fell down a manhole in Dlamini, Soweto.
The body of 6-year-old Khaya Magadla has been found almost a month since he fell into a manhole in Dlamini, Soweto. #KhayalethuMagadla pic.twitter.com/4OWRrsmEzS
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) July 2, 2022
In an effort to discover the missing child, authorities used robotic technology during the search operation, including isolating a particular reservoir. Despite their best efforts, however, they had no luck. A team of rescue and recovery workers, including members of the emergency services and Joburg Water, ultimately discovered Magadla’s body on Saturday, 2 July.
Khayalethu Magadla was discovered from the splitter chamber on the first manhole toward the samp located next to the Eldorado Park Wastewater Plant, according to Nana Radebe-Kgiba from the City of Johannesburg Emergency Services.
Since the search for the 6-year-old youngster began, Radebe stated that the family had through an unpleasant 20 days. “The EMS specialized team has consistently continued with search through the challenging pipeline system. The Urban Search and Rescue teams have covered at least 20km from Dlamini to Eldorado Park. The City is committed to assisting the family with all that is necessary following this tragic event.” Said EMS spokesperson
David Tembe, the City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Public Safety, expressed the hope that the Magadla family will finally be able to find closure after their son’s body was discovered. Tembe also thanked the Soweto neighborhood for helping the family of the six-year-old through their trying period.
The Magadla family expressed relief on Saturday that they could now start their recovery journey and finally receive the closure they require.
One relative, Veli Mthethwa, said “Though we knew we wouldn’t find him alive, the mere fact that he was found gives us, as a family, a sense of relief. You can see on Khaya’s parents’ faces that it is as if a heavy burden has been lifted from their shoulders”.
Mthethwa added that Khayalethu’s mother would remain silent whenever visitors arrived at the house to console the family.
Derrick Mngomezulu, a representative for the family and a community leader, said the ordeal had been hard on the family, especially on Khayalethu’s mother. “She now speaks to people and she is able to move around, unlike before,”.
Mngomezulu, who has aided the family ever since the tragedy, told the reporters that he could still remember their feelings when they learned that Khayalethu had been located.
“The emergency management service [officials] came to the family to inform them that they had found a child who matched Khaya’s description and had the same clothes that he was wearing. They escorted the family to the split chamber. When the police were done with their job, the family was called forward to identify the body and they confirmed it was Khaya. Their reactions were like any other parents’ [reactions]. They were torn and hurt,” he said, adding that “relief then set in,” said Mngomezulu.
Mngomezulu and Mthethwa claim that Kholekile’s fatherly instinct and the community’s assistance were major factors in the hunt.
#KhayalethuMagadla candlelight prayer 30 06 22 pic.twitter.com/TrIEHa3JCC
— Derrick Mngomezulu (@MfisolongafiDer) July 1, 2022
Mthethwa said: “Community members were present during every search conducted and they are the ones who kept pushing the search. It shows how we not only walked this journey alone, but we had the community’s support while we went through something this horrible,” Mthethwa added.
“He was a very active boy, who participated in a lot of things at school and we’re even told that he was a team leader. If God had decided to keep him here with us for a longer time, who knows what kind of person he would have become? But I bet it would have been someone we would all look up to,” Mthethwa added.
On Friday at 10:00 am, Family and friends will have a memorial service for six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla, who passed away in Dlamini Park, Soweto, after falling into a manhole while playing with friends, before he is buried in the Eastern Cape later this month.
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Source of News:Times Live
