A 12-year-old girl’s desperate bid to save her little brother and their toddler cousin from drowning ended in heartbreak when she realised they had both already died.
The crushing sense of helplessness rippled through the family, with one parent recalling the devastating phone call he received on Friday morning, conveying the unthinkable — his son had drowned.
Keagan Sauls, 29, received the call while he was at work — news, he said, no parent should ever have to hear.
Battling through tears at the family home in Lower Central, Kariega, the grieving father described the shock and devastation he felt when he heard that his two-year-old son, Shiloh, had died.
In a second blow for the family, he was told Shiloh’s three-year-old cousin, Cairo, had also lost his life in the swimming pool at their grandmother’s Kariega home.
The two children had been best friends and did everything together.
The 12-year-old girl, Cairo’s sister, had bravely jumped in and pulled their little bodies out of the water, but it was too late.
Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said that at about 11am on Friday, police responded to a report of a drowning in Len Basson Street.
“On arrival, they found two boys already taken out of the pool by a 12-year-old family member.
“Both boys passed away.
“An inquest investigation is ongoing.”
Keagan and his wife, Tasnean, 25, described Shiloh as a “real busybody and the joy of their lives”.
“He and Cairo were very close, and they loved each other to pieces,” Tasnean said.
“I am in so much pain — it is not a feeling I would wish on my worst enemy.
“I still can’t believe my son is gone. I keep wishing that this is all just a bad dream and that I will wake up from it soon.”
After spotting the boys’ lifeless bodies in the pool, the couple’s young niece dived and pulled them out one by one.
They said the girl was devastated to learn that it was too late and that both boys were already dead.
They said she was in shock and would require therapy and counselling.
Shiloh’s maternal grandfather, Wayne Louw, struggled to find the words to express his grief.
“There is not much I can say. This is hurting so deeply. All I can say is that I loved my grandson very much. This is an unfortunate incident.
“He was such a live wire and a lovable child. It’s been just two days since he left us, and we already miss him so much.”
His wife, Madelein, said: “I just wish I could do something to ease Keagan and Tasnean’s pain.
“It is not easy for any of us, but especially for them.
“Cairo’s mother, Mirelle, is also suffering a lot. I wish I could turn back the hands of time.”
Tasnean said they had been planning to enrol Shiloh in a creche soon.
He had been at his paternal grandmother’s house that day, along with his two cousins.
It is not yet clear how the boys managed to fall into the pool.
“If only I could give my beloved son a warm hug one last time,” Tasnean said.
Social media has been flooded with messages of condolence and support, with one woman writing that her “heart bleeds for the parents of the two boys” and that she was praying for God to ease their pain.
Arrangements for the funerals have not yet been made, with the family planning to discuss it in the week.
