Glenelg drowning: Family grieves death of Elias Nimbona

AT just 15, Elias Nimbona was the man of his family and his mother’s “calming protector” — but now she’s mourning the death of her eldest boy, who drowned at Glenelg earlier this month.

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AT just 15, Elias Nimbona was the man of his family and his mother’s “calming protector”.

Leonia Gitondo, however, is now mourning the death of her eldest boy, whose life was lost in a beach tragedy at Glenelg on December 17.

“Life without him is not going to be the same,” she told The Advertiser through translation by Burundian Community SA acting president Elevis Mukshimana.

“I thought he would bury me, but now I will bury him.”

The body of 15-year-old Elias was pulled from the water near Glenelg jetty. While there has been speculation he was jetty jumping with other youngsters, the events leading up to his death have not been ascertained and his family believes he may have just been swimming. The Advertiser understands he had epilepsy.

Ms Gitondo said her son was the “cornerstone of the family”.

Facebook pictures of Elias Nimbona, 15, from Goodwood, who drowned at Glenelg beach.

The single mother arrived in Tasmania with three-year-old Elias after escaping war-torn Burundi and a decade of living in a Tanzanian refugee camp.

They obtained their Australian citizenship and moved to Adelaide nearly three years later, where the Burundian community supported the young family before the birth of two younger siblings, Isaiah and Isabella.

In Burundian culture, the eldest son of a single mother is considered the head of the family.

“I think of him as the calming protector. He was the only older man in the family,” Ms Gitondo said.

“He was my support, the cornerstone of the family.”

Glenelg drowning victim Elias Nimbona and his mum Leonia. Picture supplied by Family

The Pasadena High School student was a keen sportsman, playing tennis, hockey and soccer. He also won his middle school sports achievement award this year.

In hot weather on December 17, Ms Gitondo took her children to Glenelg, where she met and chatted with a friend.

Her last words to Elias, who was eager for a dip in the cool water, were not to swim far.

When she lost sight of her boy, she quickly grew anxious and searched for a lifeguard.

But she said she could not find help for 20 minutes and that when she did, it took another hour before Elias was found and pulled from the water by another teenager.

Elias Nimbona was a talented athlete in soccer, tennis and hockey. Pic supplied by family.

Five-year-old Elias just learnt that he received Australian citizenship and was preparing to move to Adelaide.

Ms Gitondo said she did not know whether Elias had jumped from the jetty but Mr Mukshimana said witnesses may have confused him with a group of Sudanese teenagers having a birthday celebration on the beach at the time.

Elias was the third boy from the Burundian community to die in the sea at Glenelg. Frank Ndikuriyo and Thierry Niyomwungere, both 11, drowned on New Year’s Day 2016.

A week before Elias’ death, Indian girl Nitisha Negi, visiting Adelaide for the Pacific School Games, lost her life at the Glenelg breakwater.

A teenage swimmer pulled Elias out of the water near the Glenelg jetty. Picture: AAP / Russell Millard

Mr Mukshimana is urging the government to provide public programs for new migrants to learn how to swim.

“To stop this from happening again, we are encouraging our community to learn swimming,” he said.

“But (Burundian) parents had to fork out their own money for swimming lessons. We hope the government can help us build a public pool.”

Donations to help Ms Gitondo with funeral costs can be made to burundianssa.com.au, BSB 085 446 Account 118104622 or click here