Free State 11-Year-Old Boy Drowns in Construction Site Mud, SA Sad
- An 11-year-old boy lost his life after allegedly drowning at a construction site in Odendaalsrus, Free State
- The incident happened while the little boy was playing with his friends at the construction site when he got stuck in the mud
- The police urged parents to educate their children about water safety and South Africans were devastated
For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, a journalist at Briefly News in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered a range of topics, including accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather, and natural disaster-related incidents, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
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ODENDAALSRUS, FREE STATE — A little boy allegedly drowned in a pool of mud while playing with his friends on a construction site in Odendaalsrus in the Free State on 2 August 2025.
According to the South African Police Service, the incident happened in the afternoon. A group of boys between the ages of 10 and 11 was swimming at a construction site in Kutlwanong. They swam inside an excavation filled with wastewater.
The boy got stuck while swimming in the pit, which was filled with mud. Two of them managed to escape, but the third struggled until he died. His body was retrieved hours later and he was declared dead on the scene. The police called on parents to educate their children about water safety.
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Children who drowned
Another teenager from Sebokeng in Emfuleni, Gauteng, drowned on 15 January 2025 while trying to save his friend's life. The boy and his friends were on a fishing trip when his friend slipped into the stream. The victim jumped in and saved his friend, but drowned in the process.
Two matric pupils died when they drowned during a school outing at Amanzimtoti Beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, in May 2023. The victims were reportedly swimming in a restricted area when they drowned.
What did South Africans say?
South Africans commenting on Facebook extended their condolences and grieved.
Thapelo Monaheng said:
"Do not blame parents. Blame the contractor for failure to barricade."
Kopano Ikop Patrick Chabaemang said:
"I squarely blame the hands of the contractor. There is a lack of visible safety precaution warning signs and safety nets."
Abbvey Modise said:
"It's sad to see such carelessness from our service providers. Most of the construction work done in our municipalities is done by incompetent contractors. All certificates in the file are fraudulent. If you are not trained as a safety officer, you won't understand such things until something happens. Condolences to the family and all affected."
Tebello Thukgwi said:
"Construction negligence."
Aupa Mojoena said:
"That hole should have been barricaded by the contractor."
11-year-old friends drown in Duduza dam
In a related article, Briefly News reported that two 11-year-old boys drowned in a dam near MegaCity in Duduza, Ekurhuleni. The incident happened on 19 June 2025.
The boys went to the dam to swim after school but never returned. A missing person case was opened, and their bodies were recovered the following day.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
