CASKET SWEPT AWAY BY FLOODS

MVUTJINI - It seems the effects of Cyclone Eloise were so intense to the point that the heavy rains, which resulted in floods, swept away a buried casket.

The incident happened at Ehini, an area situated at the west of Malagwane Hill, just before Mvutjini in Ezulwini. 

Information gathered was that the shocking discovery was made by a child during the course of the recent floods, which ended on Monday. 

The washed away grave was of a woman named Zodwa.

A sister to the deceased, Rose Myeni, confirmed the incident. Rose stated that they were informed by a child that the grave had been damaged.

“I called my parents and informed them about the incident. We quickly went to graveyard where other family graves are located and inspected the scene. Indeed we found that the grave where Zodwa was buried was empty. Only a few bricks, which had also been damaged, were found. We tried in vain to search for the casket and possibly the remains of our sister along the riverbank, but in vain,” she said. 

Buried 

According to Rose, her sister Zodwa was buried in 2010. She pleaded with anyone who might come across any human remains to report to Ehini Royal Kraal.

Her father Solomon Myeni also confirmed the incident. He stated that they spent the whole day searching for the casket and the remains of Zodwa, however, they returned empty-handed. 

“I would like to appeal to anyone who might come across human bones, be it a skull or anything, to report to the police or the royal kraal. I am hoping that people will come across the human skeleton as there are many activities in the river,” Solomon said.

Some residents use the river to do their laundry and other household chores.

Solomon said it was very important to locate the remains because a human was different from an animal.

He stated that indvuna of the area had been made aware of the incident. However, he said he was yet to report it to the police as they had hopes that they would locate the remains.

When the graveyard was visited, it was discovered that it was located not very far from the river, whose banks were washed away by the floods on Sunday. 

It also appeared that the river took another direction and eroded the soil at the edge of the graveyard during the floods, eating away a large chunk of the soil closer to the grave. It was also discovered that the floods swept away the casket from the bottom before the whole grave collapsed into the river. There was only one brick left at the top of the grave while a few debris were also found next to where the grave was.

The river was still flowing fast at the bottom of the grave yesterday and it is believed that the remains may have been washed downstream. Fortunately, according to the family, the floods are over, otherwise the remaining graves would have also been damaged by the strong water current.

Havoc 

It was also observed that the river joins Mbabane River, which caused havoc to many establishments during the recent floods.  

Solomon stated that the only option was to divert the water to its normal flowing position in order to avoid further damage to the graves.

Indvuna Jabulani Dvuba confirmed having received information concerning the casket which was swept away by the floods.  “Yes, the chairman reported the incident. We have lost a casket with the remains of the person who was buried as a result of the recent floods in the area. We would like to appeal to members of the public to help us in case they come across the casket or any human skeletal remains,” Dvuba said. 

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said reporting a missing corpse was very important for many reasons. First, Vilakati said a human being did not belong to anyone, but government hence the importance of reporting.

She said reporting the missing corpse could help in identifying the family of the deceased in case the corpse was found. Vilakati also advised that such incidents should be reported to the royal kraal. 

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