A Parkwood grandmother has issued an emotional plea to the City of Cape Town to urgently clear blocked drains ahead of the winter rains, after her eight-year-old grandson narrowly escaped drowning in a flooded street earlier this month.

Francis Fick, 60, said the incident — which unfolded in Moosa Walk — could have been prevented if the stormwater system had been cleared in time. The drains, she explained, routinely overflow during winter, turning the roads into what she described as “a river”.

“He is traumatised, even though he doesn’t understand it, but I can see it, because he doesn’t want to go outside alone anymore. He wants me with him,” said Fick.

According to her, on the day of the incident, she was at home waiting for her grandson, Tyler Cupido, to return from school. Tyler, who is eight years old and in Grade 1, normally walks home with his older cousin, but that day he decided to leave alone. His teacher, noticing the heavy rain, made him a makeshift raincoat out of a black plastic bag and tucked his arms inside to keep him dry. But when he crossed the road, he slipped into a waterlogged ditch and couldn’t lift himself out.

Fick was met not by Tyler, but by a neighbourhood watch member— and unexpected hero — carrying the boy in her arms.

Yaseerah Nelson, 25, had been sitting outside when she spotted what she initially thought was a plastic bag floating in the floodwaters. On closer inspection, she realised it was a child — and that he wasn’t moving. She rushed into the knee-deep water and pulled him to safety.

“What is strange is I saw the video and still told my grandchild that I hope the child is okay, because when I saw Yaseerah carrying him over the arms, I immediately thought this child is no longer breathing,” she said.

“Then not even long after that, Yaseerah was at our house with Tyler. Lord, I can only say thank you… Thank you that she was sitting outside at that moment, thank you that she followed her instincts and went out.”

Fick praised Nelson’s quick thinking and bravery.

“Everyone knows the children every year here in Parkwood, especially Moosa and Parkers Walk, use the flooding as a pool and swim in the water,” she added. “If the City just cleared the drains properly before winter, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

The grandmother’s plea comes as the City continues to face criticism over its management of stormwater infrastructure in low-income communities.

Residents say winter flooding is a familiar and dangerous problem in places like Parkwood — one that has already claimed lives in Cape Town.

In 2023, stormy weather brought with it pools of water to the Klipfontein Mission Station informal settlement, resulting in the tragic electrocution of four children.

Lusindo Dyamdeki, 7, and his brother Lithle, 11, were walking home from madrassa with their friends Awam Salies Simanga, 9, and Storm Scholtz, 12, when they were shocked by a live wire lying in the water. The entire community was left devastated, and questions around accountability and infrastructure safety remain unresolved.

Fick hopes Tyler’s experience will serve as a renewed wake-up call for the authorities to act — before another family endures a loss they can’t recover from.

“I just thank the Lord for Yaseerah,” she said. “But next time, we might not be so lucky.”

She also thanked Solangei and Angelo Nefdt, founders of Ubuntu Hearts, a Non-Profit Organisation.

Solangei reached out to Fick after seeing Tyler’s video on Facebook.

“We buy and accumulate goods out of our own pockets for families in need. Our goal is to make the lives a bit better for those in need even if it’s just a plate of food for someone on the street.

“When we saw Tyler’s video on Facebook, we immediately knew we needed to reach out and when we went to his house last night we realised the need is much bigger than just the little boy.

“We are currently trying to find more goods (food, clothes & toiletries) as there are more people living in that house who’s also in need.

“What a great world this will be if we could all have an open heart and hand for the next person,” Solangei said.

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has once again urged vigilance around child safety, especially during the winter months.

“The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness reaffirms its call to all people, including parents and caregivers, to protect children from preventable injuries, especially in winter, when risks such as burns tend to increase,” said departmental spokesperson Shimoney Regter.

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 May 2025, provincial hospital data  for children shows:

*31,359 admissions were due to falls;

*24,798 were due to other accidental injuries;

*6,989 children were treated for burns — which ranked fifth among leading causes of injury-related hospital admissions.

The department also recorded 9,004 sports-related injuries during this period at 75 linked public health facilities.

According to Regter, most burn-related injuries happen at home, particularly in kitchens or where open flames and boiling liquids are used. She added that June and July — during the school holidays — are especially risky.

The department has urged parents and caregivers to follow basic safety steps to prevent injuries:

*Always supervise children near water, especially flooded areas, buckets or ditches;

*Keep kettles, pots, and electrical cords out of children’s reach;

*Cover exposed electrical wires and report illegal connections;

*Extinguish open flames and embers completely;

*Run cool water over burns for at least 20 minutes before seeking medical help.

“Children can drown in shallow water in seconds,” Regter warned.

“And exposed wires in flooded areas can be fatal. Please report any dangerous infrastructure immediately.”

Anyone wanting to help Ficks with donations can contact her on 078 0102 037.

tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus 

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