NQAMAKWE - Imivuyo Maduba's family is still struggling to make sense of his death after a stray horse struck the four-year-old in the head.
Maduba was playing with friends in a village in the Eastern Cape on 12 August when a herd of stray horses suddenly raced through a passage. The other children managed to escape, but Maduba was struck.
He was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
Community members say his death could have been prevented, blaming animal owners for allowing their livestock to roam freely through residential areas.
His mother, Nokuphela, says she was not at home when the incident happened.
“I heard from the children playing with him that a horse kicked him,” she says.
Another man found the boy and alerted his sister, who took him home. He was unconscious, raising concerns for his mother, and was rushed to hospital.
The Nqamakwe Community Policing Forum says identifying the owner of the horses will be difficult.
“We often warn people about the dangers of stock theft and how they should look after their animals so that they can be identified,” says the CPF’s Vuyani Ndbuse.
“Our people are reluctant to brand their animals to avoid any violations involving their animals,” he says.
Maduba will be laid to rest on Friday.
- eNCA's Ronald Masinda reports.