A one-year-old child has died in a tragic drowning incident in Nketa, Bulawayo, police have confirmed.
Bulawayo Provincial Police Spokesperson, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, said the incident occurred on March 31 at around 4PM.
The one-year-old was reportedly left playing with an 11-year-old boy at their home while the toddler’s 20-year-old mother went to bathe.
“On 31 March 2026 at around 1600 hours, a female adult aged 20 years, of Nketa, Bulawayo left the now deceased playing with her brother a male juvenile aged 11 years of the same address when she was going to take a bath,” said the police spokesperson.
Inspector Msebele said while in the bathroom, the mother heard the juvenile calling for help, saying the child was drowning in a bucket of water.
“When she came out of the bathroom, the now deceased had already been taken out of the bucket.”
The child was rushed to a nearby private clinic for medical assistance but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
A police report was subsequently made.
Inspector Msebele urged members of the public to prioritise children’s safety at all times and make sure that containers such as buckets, basins, bathtubs and water storage vessels are always out of reach of children as they pose a serious risk of drowning.