One man drowned, one still missing
The men went to the Blesbokspruit river with the intention of performing a ritual.
NIGEL – Â a 43-year-old man drowned in the Blesbokspruit river today (January 16) during a ritual.
According to witnesses, the man went to the river, just behind the John Vorster Stadium, where he and another man, a 46-year-old pastor went to perform the ritual.
According to Sgt Neliswa Dwaba, communications officer of the Nigel SAPS, the men were in the river when the pastor apparently slipped.
The other man jumped into the river after the pastor in an apparent attempt to save him, but the flow of the water was too strong, and both were swept away.
Police divers were called to the scene, and the body of the first male was found about two kilometers away from the scene of the incident.
The pastor is still missing and is still being sought by the police search and rescue unit.
The search has been called off for the night and will resume tomorrow morning (January 17).
Police wish to warn the community of Nigel and the surrounding areas to avoid going into river streams, especially during the rainy season due to heavy flow of the water.
