Concern Grows Over Man's Disappearance in Mkhomazi River

The Nkelabantwanwa community in Bulwer, central KwaZulu-Natal, is concerned about the disappearance of a young man who went down the Mkhomazi River on Sunday morning.

It is said that Mr Siyanda Hadebe (28) went out at around 10am on Sunday to go hunting, but he was swept away by the water in the Mkhomazi River.

According to members of the community who saw the incident, they tried to raise the alarm but to no avail.

“We then called the police, asking them to call the rescuers, who will rescue him, but nothing came. They initially said that the place where he went down was near the Mpendle police station. The Mpendle police, however, denied the allegations and said that the place where he went down was below Himeville.

“The rescuers even arrived at night from Durban, and tried to search for him but they failed because it was dark and it had started to rain. The next day, the Himeville police arrived, along with a rescue team, but as of today (Thursday) he has not been found. We do not believe that we will be able to find Siyanda alive,” said a worried community member.

Mr Sandile Phungula, who has been missing since the incident occurred, was crying profusely.

“This boy grew up with me, I used to live with them. His disappearance has worried us as I even donated my car. We are with other community members, as I speak to you, looking for him,” he said.

Today, Thursday, police, rescuers, and community leaders (councillors), were along the Mkhomazi River, in an attempt to find Hadebe’s body.