On Monday, divers discovered the body of an unidentified girl in the Black River near the N2 highway in Cape Town.
The body was visible from the highway as it floated in shallow waters near the river bank before it was removed and placed in a white body bag and taken away.
It is alleged that the body might be that of the 8-year-old girl who fell into the Vygieskraal canal during the storm in Cape Town two weeks ago. However, Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue service Spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse said that this cannot be confirmed until the family has identified the body.
SAPS and Fire and Rescue Service divers had been searching the Black River for days since the little girl disappeared into the canal near Belgravia Estate, Athlone. The rescue team had also been searching for a man who jumped in to try and save the minor.
Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said an inquest docket was opened and a post-mortem would be performed to determine the cause of death.
Rescue crews believed that the pair may have been swept away by the torrent which would have taken them through a tunnel underneath an extensive stretch of Athlone suburbia before they would have been washed into the Black River near the Athlone Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The search was suspended on Friday, 8 July, after divers struggled to search among thick debris and undergrowth which needed to be cleared before police divers could resume the search.
