The flooded municipal construction trench on Hintsaka Pahlo Street in Samora Machel, Cape Town, seen cordoned off with safety netting after a one-year-old child tragically drowned in the water in October.
The family of a one-year-old boy who died after falling into an open stormwater drain in Samora Machel wants the City of Cape Town to account for why the site was left unsecured near residential homes.
Bunono Ndlakuse died on October 31, 2026, after falling into the drain along along Hintsaka Pahlo Street, where a private contractor had reportedly been working on a collapsed sewer since August.
His family has now written to mayor Geordin-Hill Lewis and City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo demanding action, while civil rights organisations say it is assisting about 12 families whose children died in incidents involving unsafe play areas and dangerous municipal infrastructure across Cape Town.
They say their baby should still be alive.
For the family, it was not just an accident; it was a tragedy they believe could have been prevented.
Family demands accountability
Family spokesperson Nkosikhona Swaartbooi says the family is still struggling to come to terms with the loss.
Swaartbooi said: “As a family, we are broken. No parent should bury a one-year-old child. We are grieving, but we are also angry because this could have been prevented if the infrastructure of the drain was complete."
The family recently shared their pain in an open letter to Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo, where they raised their concerns about the incident after officials had reached out to them.
“We want to thank the City for taking the time to engage with us as a family hope this is the start of real action, not just words.
“We do not want another meeting where we are told to wait. We want meaningful engagement, support for the affected families and accountability. Our children deserve safe spaces.”
Concerns over other child deaths
According to a statement written by the Movement for CARE, which is working with the family, Bunono's death is not an isolated incident.
The organisation says it is currently working with approximately 12 families whose children have lost their lives due to unsafe play spaces and dangerous municipal infrastructure across the City of Cape Town. The organisation says that number frightens them the most.
The group said: “Bunono is not the first child. There are other mothers carrying the same pain. How many more children must die before something changes? This speaks to a broader and deeply concerning pattern. Our children are losing their lives in spaces where they are supposed to be safe”.
For now, the family says they are holding onto the hope that Bunono's death will force change.
“We do not want Bunono to be just another name. We want his life to mean something. We want the City to fix what is dangerous, so that no other family has to feel what we are feeling,” Swaartbooi said.
Cape Argus