Yaseerah Nelson, a woman belonging to Klip Neighbourhood Watch, immediately sprang into action after spotting a young schoolboy drowning in a severely flooded road in Parkwood, reports Cape {town} Etc.
The young boy, believed to be between the ages of seven and eight, from Parkwood Primary School, was walking home in the afternoon when he found himself struggling in what Nelson described as knee-high flood water.
According to Nelson, it appeared as if the boy was swimming when she and her colleagues spotted him until she realised that he was drowning, News24 reported.
‘He was in the water for a while, and then he went up, down again, and came up. When his back flipped, I noticed that he was not swimming. He was about to drown,’ she told the publication.
Entering the knee-high water, Nelson said she also struggled to make her way to the boy, who was face down when she managed to reach him.
‘His eyes were wide open, but they weren’t moving. I kept shaking him to get him to respond to my voice, but you could tell he was in shock and couldn’t get a word out,’ News24 quoted her as saying.
‘Around his neck was a black bag that had probably been washed away and got caught on him. I think he may have been struggling with the bag as well.’
Video footage of the incident has since spread widely on various social media platforms, with many blaming the municipality for failing to repair and upgrade the area’s drainage systems, often leading to severe overflows during periods of heavy rainfall.
The boy was subsequently taken to a sheltered room where his wet clothes were removed and he was given blankets and something warm to eat and drink.
‘He was shivering, not just from the cold but also from the shock. Imagine if the water was knee high for an adult, what it must be like for a child,’ added Nelson. ‘He couldn’t speak for about 15 minutes or get a word out.’
The neighbourhood watch was able to locate the boy’s family shortly after his traumatic experience, and he was safely reunited with them.
Commenting on the incident, Yaseerah’s brother, Ward 65 Councillor Donovan Nelson, who represents Lotus River, Grassy Park, and Parkwood, said: ‘Flooded roads are always a serious concern, and it’s heartbreaking when incidents like these happen.’
Parkwood, along with many other areas, was hit by flooding as a result of the current cold front making its way through the Cape, bringing heavy rains, damaging winds and very cold temperatures until Friday, 27 June.
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Picture: Councillor Emre Uygun / Facebook
