A Joburg family has identified the body of an 18-year-old woman who drowned at the Klip River during a cleansing ritual at the weekend, while the search for a 21-year-old man has been called off until Friday morning.
Authorities have since confirmed that the body of a young woman that was recovered on Wednesday was that of the young woman who also drowned during the cleansing ritual on Saturday night.
The woman has been identified as Ayaphiwa Ndothi, an 18-year-old woman.
Her family identified the body at the Diepkloof Pathology Laboratory Services on Thursday.
Speaking to eNCA, a family spokesperson said they were deeply saddened that Ayaphiwa had lost her life.
"It's a heavy load that we have to carry, we would like to thank all the forensic and search teams and everyone who has been involved, we are saddened and it is unfortunate that this has happened,” he said.
“We would also like to urge people in South Africa to be careful, let's look after our kids. When things like this happen, it is painful, families are suffering and now we are sitting with this burden that we have to bury our own, a very young person, a warm person, we have lost one of us,” he said.
The family spokesperson also urged churches and traditional leaders to exercise caution when performing such rituals.
Joburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said the search for the missing 21-year-old man was set to resume on Friday morning.
The search is being led by the Joburg EMS Aquatic Services, the SA Police Services Water Wing, and K9 units.
The search commenced on Sunday after the two went missing after performing a cleansing ritual at the river on Saturday night.
Khumalo said they were still urging members of the community to be extra cautious when conducting such rituals.
She said safety should be paramount, and checking the water levels was key.
Khumalo said going into the river after it had rained was dangerous as the river flowed heavily.
Earlier, traditional healers, prophets, and pastors were also urged to ensure the safety of congregants while conducting rituals.
The search continues.
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