By Lwazi Raul-Shongwe and Kopano Dibakwane
The lifeless body of a male traditional healer was recovered by police divers from the Crocodile River in Kanyamazane on Sunday 13 April 2025 after he reportedly drowned while performing rituals.
According to police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane, the deceased was performing prayers and rituals alongside a male prophet when the incident occurred on Thursday 10 April 2025. The prophet is said to have reported the tragic incident to the police after the deceased suddenly disappeared inside the water.
Lt-Col Ndubane said the police Diving Unit conducted a search from Thursday until the lifeless body was finally located and retrieved at around 12:00 pm on Sunday.
“ Accoridng to the prophet, he never saw his friend again and he shouted out his name but to no avail. The project packed all their stuff and went to the traditional healer’s house to report the incident. He went to report the ordeal to the police, accompanied by the traditional healer’s wife,” said Lt-Col Ndubane.
Mpumalanga Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Major-General(Dr)Zeph Mkhwanazi, has called upon community members to be cautious when performing rituals in such areas, particularly as the Easter Weekend approaches.
“ We would like to alert members of the public who are planning to hold baptism or ritual activities, especially in rivers or dams to be careful because we normally experience drownings. We encourage members of the public to use safety precautions to prevent loss of life during this period. We also register a lot of theft and robbery cases where people leave their belongings unattended while performing these activities,” said General Mkhwanazi.
A probe is reportedly underway by Kanyamazane police, to establish further details that may have led to the unfortunate incident.
