ON Friday, 24 November, the search and rescue unit recovered the male body assumed to be that of a 21-year-old male who was swept by the water during an alleged cleansing ceremony at Klip River, Olifantsvlei, over the weekend.
The body was recovered a few kilometres where the body of Ayaphiwe Ndothi (18) was recovered on Wednesday, 22 November.
The body was recovered hanging on tree branch which is way below.
The divers were not able to locate the body on Thursday, 23 November, due to the high-water level and the depth of the branch.
EMS spokeswoman Xolile Khumalo told Daily Sun that the divers couldn’t see the body on Thursday during the search because the water level was high, and the way he was trapped under the tree made it difficult for the team to manoeuvre close to the tree.
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Since the body had been underwater for seven days, the injuries were unavoidable.
“The body was under water for a period of seven days. There are rocks in the river and with the water level being high the body is bound to face some change. The family will not find the body in the state they know the person to be in,” she said.
The family has been contacted, and the EMS is hoping that they will make their way to the recovery scene or maybe to the Diepkloof mortuary to identify the body.
A declaration of death was made to hand over the body to the SAPS for further investigations.
Khumalo continued to urge izangoma, prophets and pastors to be cautious while conducting such ceremonies.
