BLOEMFONTEIN – Four people, three adults, and a teenage boy were reported to have drowned in Bethlehem and Welkom respectively this weekend.
In the first incident, three adults, two males aged 24 and 25, and a female aged 24, drowned at Liebenbergvlei dam near Bethlehem on Saturday, 21 November 2020. They were part of a congregation from Botshabelo and reportedly drowned during baptism.
The body of the female was retrieved by Lejweleputswa District K9 Search and Rescue team, whilst the two men are still missing as the search was provisionally withdrawn due to bad weather conditions and heavy current water flow.
On Sunday, 22 November 2020, another drowning was reported at a dam in an open field near Edu College in Welkom. Police divers retrieved the body of a 14- year-old boy after he went swimming with friends.
Cases of inquest have been registered for further investigation.
The Provincial Commissioner of the Free State, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane urges community members to exercise special care and caution in isolated dams and rivers especially after heavy rains. “It is better to swim in the water, in areas supervised by lifeguards. We also urge parents to sensitize children to refrain from swimming in dams unsupervised, or crossing in dams with heavy flowing waters or strong current”, she concluded.