'We want to bury him'

Little Khaya's family just want to lay him to rest - but his body is still missing after he fell into a manhole

- By Siphokazizama & Lesego Seokwang

IT WAS a warm winter day - perfect weather for a little boy to play outside, especially after the recent rains. And that's exactly what Khayalethu Magadla did after his family came home from church that Sunday. As the day wore on and the sun rose high, Khaya decided to go and play with his friends at the park down the road from his home in Dlamini, Soweto.

It was there the five-year-old was last seen alive. As the sun sank and cold dusk loomed, the family started getting concerned and what would emerge became a heartbreaking story that has saddened the entire country.

When Khaya didn't come back home on Sunday evening, we went around looking for the children he was playing with, says family spokesperson Veli Mthethwa.

But they were met with silence. The children didn't want to divulge any information on his whereabouts. It was as if they were scared.

The family went to the Moroka police station but found it deserted and went back to report him missing the following day. They also reported him missing at school and gradually started to piece together what had happened.

There was an open manhole in the area that we reported two years back which was covered with a plank, Veli says. It seems the boys had been taking turns walking over the plank with Khaya being the last one to go.

There was a child who was fetched from school by his parents and he accompanied them to the park along with their teachers. He went straight to the hole and said, 'This is where Khaya fell: