Mother seeks justice after son’s death in boating accident

A mother is seeking justice after her 15-year-old son, allegedly died in a boating accident near Nasali Landing in Rewa on Sunday, August 30.

Sulueti Saweya Kata, the mother of the late Joseph Michael Kata, is a shop attendant at the landing.

She was devastated when she learned her son was allegedly killed while ferrying passengers in a water taxi, a task he often carried out to support the family.

“It was around 9.35pm on Sunday, August 30, when my son left the shop to take passengers across to Nabua village, a five to 10 minutes boat ride from the landing,” Ms Kata recalled.

“I bid him farewell, not knowing it would be the last time I would hear his voice. About 10 to 15 minutes later, I overheard water taxi operators talking about an accident involving him.”

At first, she thought it was a minor mishap, but when she rushed to the scene, she was told Joseph’s boat had crashed, leaving him missing and the engine gone.

“I ran to others seeking help. It was dark and cold, and my son was nowhere to be found. I was scared, but held onto hope, believing he might survive,” she said.

Happier days...The late Joseph Michael Kata

That night, Nabua Village headman Ben Karikaritu joined the search after hearing about the alleged accident. 

He offered his fishing net to help locate Joseph’s body.

“When I heard, they were trying to find him, we dived into the water calling out his name,” Mr Karikaritu said.

“We dragged the fishing net around the crash site. After an hour, we felt something heavy. When we pulled ashore, we saw an open wound on his head; he was already gone.”

Joseph was buried on Friday, September 4. His mother is still waiting for answers.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed investigations were ongoing, while the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji has also launched its inquiry.