'If I had a tap in my yard, my child wouldn't have died' - Mother blames QwaQwa municipality for daughter's drowning

"If I had a tap in my yard my child wouldn't have died."

The grieving mother of a girl, who drowned at a dam in QwaQwa while fetching water, is blaming the embattled Maluti-A-Phofung municipality for her grief.

Phindile Mbele says that, on January 18, she sent her two daughters Musa, 8, and Moleboheng, 12, to fetch water at a local dam.

"I had sent my two children to fetch water, when some community members came to notify me that one of my children fell in the river.

"I rushed there and, on my arrival, they were searching for my child in the river. A while later, two men emerged from the water with the body of my child.

"I am hurt, broken and don't know what to say. I am numb, my baby is gone. I believe what happened could have been prevented.

"I blame the municipality, had they given us basic municipality services as citizens of South Africa this couldn't have happened.

"If I had a tap in my yard, my child wouldn't have died," Mbele said.

"My child is gone. She won't come back again. I hope that people we voted for must ensure such incidents never happen again," she said.

Musa will be buried on Saturday.

"On Saturday, I will be laying my child to rest, who could have buried me one day when I'm old; now I'll be burying my little angel with the help of Prophet Paseka Mboro who stood by me and my family.

"He has given us the spiritual, financial and emotional support since my tragic loss. I am grateful that he is giving my child a dignified funeral. It's not a norm seeing a man of the cloth bothering himself to help people who are not even the members of the church.

"I don't attend his church, but he's the one who came to my rescue during this difficult time when I'm in need, and for that I thank him.

"I comfort myself with a verse from Revelation 21:4, quoted 'For he will wipe my tears away and I hope there will be no more death, crying or pain for me as according to the book of revelation'," she said.

Areas that are serviced by the controversial municipality are battling a serious drought and residents had embarked on an almost week-long protests demanding water.

The dire situation has also affected healthcare facilities, leaving them short-staffed and not being able to accept any patients because roads in the area were barricaded.