THE search for the two people who drowned during a cleansing ceremony at Klip River near Olifantsvlei, south of Joburg on Saturday, 18 November has been suspended.
The search entered its third day on Tuesday, 21 November, in the hope of finding the two people, a teenager (18) and a 21-year-old man, who were washed away on Saturday night, 18 November.
Despite efforts to locate the bodies, they faced challenges due to increased water levels and strong currents caused by isolated thunderstorms in the region.
“The search will continue again on Wednesday morning,” Emergency Medical Service spokeswoman Xolile Khumalo said.
The team is said to have reached a natural strainer in the hope of finding the bodies which may be trapped there but there was no success.
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Khumalo has further urged traditional healers to be careful when conducting such rituals.
“Please make sure the water is below knee level when doing these ceremonies. Also, please make sure that you check the weather to ensure that it has not rained in the past few days or on the day you conduct the ceremony,” she said.
To date, the traditional healer who performed the cleansing ceremony is not known and Khumalo confirmed that the last time they spoke to him was on Sunday when he directed the team to the scene.
Speaking to the chairman of the African National Healers Association Masopa Mphelo, he said someone should be held accountable because the safety of the patients was at risk.
He further urged izangoma to practise caution and safety when conducting rituals because such incidents have a tendency of tarnishing their name.
“Put the safety of the patient first at all times and never perform in dangerous rivers. Izangoma jeopardise our name when such things happen because they fail to consider the safety of the patients as a result putting their lives at risk. Izangoma must always be careful," he said.
