By: Natasha Archary
Johannesburg EMS continue to search for 6-year old Khayalethu Magadla, who allegedly fell into an open manhole in Dlamini Soweto on 12 June.
12 days later there’s still no sign of the boy with emergency service personnel saying they have expanded the search.
With rescuers sharing they are closer to the split chamber that all tunnels lead to, they are hopeful the boy’s remains will be found.
Details around how the boy fell into the manhole remain sketchy, with the family only reporting him missing on Monday, 13 June.
This after Khaya’s cousin eventually confided in a teacher that he had fallen into the manhole whilst they were playing on Sunday evening.
Out of fear, the boy chose to not tell anyone what had happened to Khaya until Monday.
Spokesperson of the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, Robert Mulaudzi has shared elaborate video footage of what the inside of the tunnels they’re searching looks like.
Using rafts to navigate the rushing waters, rescuers are also harnessed to ensure they’re not swept away by the current.
As admirable as it is that the City of Johannesburg are not abandoning the search for the boy, with it being 12 days later, finding his remains will hopefully bring his family closure.
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