Nyanga tragedy could have been avoided – Cape Town Mayor

Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato has said that the tragedy in Nyanga which claimed the lives of four children could have been avoided.

The boys had been playing underneath the N2 highway bridge, across Borcherds Quarry Road next to Nyanga, when a sand embankment they were on top of, collapsed directly on them on Monday, 8 February 2021.

Plato has reacted to the incident and expressed his condolences to their loved ones.

“What started as a moment of happiness through children playing outside, quickly became a tragedy after the sandbank collapsed. The fourth victim was recovered by rescue personnel in the early hours of this morning and I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of all four victims. The past year has shown us how fragile life is and this incident reminds us of the uncertainty of life. Our thoughts are with their families during this time of grief,” he said.

An urgent search and rescue operation had been launched in Nyanga with the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue services deployed to try and retrieve the children from the collapsed ground. 

Who should be held accountable for Nyanga deaths?

The City of Cape Town has also extended counselling services to the children’s family members. The incident peaks to the broader issue of a lack of recreational areas and open spaces in the country, particularly in poor communities.

There are now calls for accountability in the wake of the tragedy and police are looking into the circumstances surrounding it.

“For people to come and dig out sand for building purposes under the N2 Highway. They should have known that if they don’t close the hole, children might go in and investigate what’s going on and see an opportunity to crawl right through underneath the highway”, Plato further said.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the province has called for a full investigation to determine exactly the circumstances which led to the boys’ deaths in Nyanga.