WESTERN CAPE. – The body of ten-year-old Octavia Swarts was found on Monday morning, 14 September 2026 at approximately 08:30 in a dam at Tomatieplaas in Joostenbergvlakte. Kraaifontein police have opened an inquest docket.
Const. Ndakhe Gwala, police spokesperson, confirmed to Nuusflits that the circumstances of the incident are being investigated. Ian Cameron, DA parliamentarian and chairperson of the police portfolio committee, expressed his condolences to Octavia's family.
"What happened in Kraaifontein is incredibly heartbreaking. A ten-year-old girl went missing and was later found dead at a dam." Cameron said he did not want to speculate about the circumstances of her death at this stage. He also said there are questions about what happened after Octavia was reported missing and how the scene was initially handled. "Those questions must be properly answered, but they must be based on facts," Cameron said. He appealed to anyone who saw Octavia or spoke to her, or who knows anything about her movements before she was found, to contact police. "A little girl has lost her life. Her family deserves answers and, above all, justice," he said.
Kraaifontein Community Upliftment Facebookpage has since mourned Octavia's death and asked: "When will the murders of our children STOP!!!" According to the page, Octavia was a Grade four learner at Joostenberg Primary School. According to the post, Octavia went missing on Sunday afternoon. She was searched for throughout the night.
Octavia is remembered as a shy, quiet and intelligent child who was regularly among the top performers in her class. Her cousin, Carmen Davids, said Octavia was withdrawn at school but had a bright and loving personality at home. "She had a special way of winning people's hearts, especially her grandmother's," Davids said. The post calls for the matter to be handled with urgency, transparency and care. Communities have also been asked to remain vigilant, look out for each other's children and create safe environments for young people.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
