On Wednesday January 17 two men were swept away during a cleansing ceremony in KwaDukuza, north of Durban. Their bodies were discovered separately days later.
IPSS Search and Rescue spokesperson, Samantha Meyerick said that on Wednesday IPSS were informed that two men had been were swept away in the Mvoti River in KwaDukuza.
“Reports received indicate that the two men, aged 23 and 27 years old, got into difficulty whilst participating in a cleansing ceremony and were swept down the river,” said Ms Meyerick.
“IPSS, KDM Marine Safety, Durban SAPS (South African Police Service) Search and Rescue and Umhlali K9 Search and Rescue conducted searches along the river for the majority of the day. Badul Air also assisted by providing air support to the search and rescue teams. Unfortunately, the men were not located, and the search has had to be called off due to declining weather conditions.”
On Thursday morning January 18, the search teams returned to the Mvoti River to continue the search for the men, said Ms Meyerick. Teams conducted searches by air, land and water, working their way downstream from where the men were last seen. Unfortunately, the men were not found, said Ms Meyerick. As the day progressed, the search was called off due to rising waters which continued to hamper search efforts, she added.
On Friday January 19, they again resumed the search with the hope of finding the men.
“The body of one of the men was recovered by KDM Lifeguards after a search area was pointed out by a traditional healer on scene,” said Ms Meyerick.
“On Saturday (January 20) a second body was recovered in Mvoti River by KDM Marine Safety. Both deceased are now accounted for. Our condolences to their friends and family and we thank KDM Lifeguards for bringing closure to the families.”
