Mmadinare village is in mourning after two Kelele Primary School students aged six and nine drowned in Sampopela river on Monday.
Today (Wednesday), Vice President- Slumber Tsogwane is expected to visit the aggrieved family of the two cousins in Mmadinare to offer his condolences.
On the fateful day the two boys had apparently been trying to cross the river on their way home from school when they were tragically swept away by the heavy current. after heavy downpours.
In a phone interview with The Voice, the uncle to the deceased Badiri Thabo Badiri, said after the heavy downpours on Monday his sister wanted to borrow his car to go and pick the kids from school but he did not have any fuel.
He said his sister opted to walk and a few minutes later he heard her screaming.
When he rushed outside the house he saw his sister standing by the river bank and her son was in the middle of the overflowing river.
“When I was still in shock and deciding how I could rescue him, the currents swept him away. I did not see the other child of my cousin drowning. It was so painful that we failed to rescue them because the current was also strong. That is the route they had been using to get home everyday after school and the river is not far from our house. The tragedy has sseverely shattered us,” said the grief stricken Badiri.
Selebi-Phikwe Station Commander Superintendent Meshack Pulenyane confirmed the incident.
He said efforts by the search party to rescue the two on Monday were not successful as the river was overflowing.
Pulenyane said a combined search party by Botswana Police, Botswana Defence Force Officers and the community recovered the bodies yesterday (Tuesday) at Motloutse river.
