Man drowns after fleeing attackers

A man fleeing from a group of assailants drowned in a water-filled construction site in Verulam.

On Sunday, concerned Ogunjini residents contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) to assist them in the search for the man’s body after he disappeared in standing water on the site.

“Upon arrival at the scene, Rusa members were met with a sombre sight as members of the public were engaged in a frantic search for the victim's body in the excavation site, which had accumulated rainwater. Subsequently, the drowned victim was discovered by a vigilant member of the public,” said Rusa’s spokesman Prem Balram.

“Eyewitnesses revealed to our officers that the deceased had been pursued by a group of four males who caught up with him and subjected him to a brutal assault. In an attempt to escape, the victim sought refuge in a nearby bridge construction site, where he tragically succumbed to the water while trying to swim away from his attackers.”

He said four suspects had fled the scene.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said they were investigating a case of murder and no arrests had been made.