Family, friends and members of the community gathered at Dlamini eco-park in Soweto to pay tribute to the late six-year-old Khayalethu Magadla whose body was found last Saturday after an excruciating three-week search and rescue operation.
At the memorial service on Friday, Khayalethu’s peers made a parade carrying the boy’s pictures in honour of his life.
Khayalethu fell into an uncovered manhole in June and was discovered 20 days later. The Gauteng Emergency Services and Joburg Water searched a total of 30 manholes in Soweto and surrounding areas during the operation.
Khayalethu was found few metres away from the split chamber near Olifantsvlei Cemetery in Lenasia. He will be buried in the Eastern Cape on Saturday next week.
His father Kholekile Lawrence Magadla said he sobbed for days while the search and rescue operation was under way.
“I had to ask for donations from people and local businesses. I have been assisted by the community and I have not received any kind of help from the City of Joburg or Johannesburg Water,” he said.
“The municipality has abused me, they took my son away from me through a hole they did not close. I have cried for the past two weeks, now I am done and ready to fight.”
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