A 13-year-old boy has drowned in an abandoned construction pit in Limpopo’s Marobjane village, the fifth death at the site according to community leaders.

James Mmoko was playing with friends when he fell into the 12-metre deep pit, which was left open after road construction work in the Avon area of Senwabarwana.

“I received a devastating phone call informing me that my son had drowned,” his mother Johanna Mmoko said. She waited seven hours for divers to arrive. “I am consumed by unbearable pain and grief.”

Community leader Alfa Lebepe said the municipality has ignored repeated warnings about the dangerous pit, located just 500 metres from homes. “This is not the first incident. Last year someone died while being baptized here,” he said.

The Blouberg Local Municipality says it is investigating the incident. Local residents claim previous deaths at the site have not led to safety improvements.