Orange farm
Family in shock after search for Khomanani Mawa ends in tragedy
For a few days Khomamani Mawa’s family held on to hope and prayed for a miracle. But it was not to be.
Mawa fell into the uncovered manhole on Sunday afternoon a few kilometres away in Orange Farm while playing with friends.
The body is suspected to be that of six-year-old Khomanani Mawa, who fell into an open manhole on Sunday.
From what specialist teams on the ground have said, the search for Khomanani Mawa may not be concluded as soon as they had hoped.
This information was disclosed by the city’s mayoral committee member for infrastructure, Gift Moerane, who visited the area on Tuesday.
Khomanani Mawa plunged into an open manhole and disappeared just a few meters from his home.
Teams from Joburg Water and others have spent hours trying to access underground utility system in the hopes of finding six-year-old Khomanani Mawa.
A six-year-old boy fell into a manhole nearby his home in Orange Farm on 5 September 2021. He still has not been found. #OrangeFarm
The child’s family said that he was playing with friends on Sunday when he plunged into the hole.
Johannesburg Metro Police officers on the scene said it was not safe for motorists in that area at the moment. Residents are complaining over not having electricity in their area.
Joburg MMC for Finance Jodilee Matongo told the metro’s council that the areas would enjoy public services and facilities, just as Soweto has since 1994.
Orange Farm has become notorious for illegal electricity connections, faulty transformers and blacked-out streets, with several areas having no power for months, while others have been in the dark for over a year.
No arrests have yet been made and outraged residents feel the community is been side-lined while murders continue to escalate.
A funeral service is under way for two children who were found murdered in the township last week.
The children, aged six and eight, were last seen walking home from a hair salon on Friday night.
The community in the south of Joburg held a prayer service in the afternoon at the spot where the bodies of the six-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl were found.
The bodies of the children aged six and eight were discovered after they went missing on Friday.
Some parts of Orange Farm have gone without electricity for months after a power transformer exploded. The affected residents have revealed how the lack of power has affected their quality of life in an already struggling community.
Several areas have been without power for months, while others have been in the dark for over a year.