North West MEC for Public Safety, Howard Yawa has conveyed heartfelt condolences to the New Faith Heaven Apostolic Church and families of a 45 year old pastor and four male members of his congregation from Majemantsho who drowned during a baptismal ceremony at a quarry in Signal Hill, Mafikeng on Sunday afternoon.
The bodies of the five could only be retrieved by police divers from Potchefstroom on Monday morning as the incident was only reported to the police towards sunset after the congregation had performed rituals in an attempt to bring the bodies to surface.
According to an eyewitness, Rt Reverend Moses Mokhutshwane, the four members whose ages are between 20 to 29 drowned while trying to rescue the pastor who appeared to be struggling to stand and drowning before baptismal began. Two of the deceased are siblings from Lomanyaneng. The elder brother jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue his brother who was drowning.
Mokhutshwane maintained that they chose baptismal sites on the criterion of mystical powers though they knew that some of them are dangerous sites.
Meanwhile, despite external and internal recruitment efforts by the police to recruit divers in order to bring the service closer to communities for speedy recovery of bodies in the event of accidents have thus far not borne any fruit. The entire North West province is currently serviced by police divers from Bloemhof, Hartbeespoort and Potchefstroom.
MEC Yawa appeals to communities to desist from swimming and baptising at quarries in order to prevent incidents of drowning as they are slippery. He has also urged municipalities to ensure that excavators rehabilitate and fence borrow pits and quarries.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 381 9171
Cell: 083 629 1987
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
