The cousins Zanokuhle Ntshangase, 12, and Andiswa Masondo, 8, were sent to collect wood from the nearby forest and according to the other children who were with the at the time, the children decided after collecting the wood to go for a swim in the deep holes now filled with water due to the recent summer rainfall.
A search was launched by the local police and with the help of divers, the girls’ bodies were found on the same day, December 21. The incident confirmed community leader and ward 5 councillor Mdititi Ntombela's fears. Ntombela had since February written several letters to the government, including Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe, about the dangers posed by the open clusters in the community.
He said his attempts to have the open clusters rehabilitated and prevent the loss of human lives and livestock had not succeeded.