13-Year-Old Boy Drowns While Swimming With Friends at Free State Quarry
- A 13-year-old boy drowned at a quarry near Erfdeel Road in Thabong, Free State, on Saturday, 31 October 2026
- Search and rescue teams were called to the scene, but poor lighting halted the operation, forcing diving units to resume the search the following morning
- Free State police have opened an inquest docket and are urging parents to teach children about water safety
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Source: Getty Images
FREE STATE — A 13-year-old boy identified as Kamohelo Mokhethi drowned while swimming with two friends at a quarry near Erfdeel Road in Thabong on Saturday, 31 October 2026, leaving his family devastated.
Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Palesa Thabana confirmed that search and rescue teams were deployed to the scene shortly after the incident was reported. However, the initial search could not be completed because of poor visibility caused by failing light.
Diving units deployed at Thabong Quarry
The Welkom and Bloemfontein diving units were activated on Sunday morning, 1 November, to resume the underwater search. Kamohelo was located and brought to the surface, after which emergency medical services personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
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Source: Getty Images
Inquest docket opened after fatal drowning
Police have since opened an inquest docket to formally investigate the circumstances surrounding Kamohelo's death. "The circumstances leading to the fatal drowning will form part of police investigations," Thabana said.
The spokesperson also used the incident to issue a public safety appeal, urging parents across the Free State to educate their children about the dangers of unsupervised swimming. Thabana stressed the importance of children obtaining permission before going for a swim and of restricting swimming to designated, supervised locations only.
Boy drowns in swimming pool
In more Briefly News updates, 15-year-old Thembi Nkosi and his friends cycled to Karen Muir Swimming Pool seeking relief from the scorching October heat; however, things ended in tragedy.
The group climbed over a devil's fork fence using a rubbish drum, and there were no lifeguards, no supervision, and no gates.
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Source: Briefly News
