Three People Drown in Free State During Baptism

Three adults who were being baptised sadly drowned at Liebenbergvlei dam near Bethlehem in the Free State on Saturday, 21 November 2020. The three – two males aged 24 and 25, and a female aged 24 – were part of a congregation from Botshabelo.

The South African Police Service said in a statement that 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District K9 Search and Rescue team, whilst the two men are still missing as the search had to be provisionally withdrawn due to bad weather conditions and heavy current water flow.

A fourth person also drowned in a separate incident in the province over the weekend, leading Free State Police to urge the public to practice water safety.

A teenage boy, aged 14, had gone swimming with friends at a dam in an open field near Edu College in Welkom when he drowned on Sunday 22 November. Police divers have retrieved his body.

Cases of inquest have been registered for further investigation in the Free State drownings.

The Provincial Commissioner of the Free State, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane said: “We urge community members to exercise special care and caution in isolated dams and rivers especially after heavy rains. We also urge parents to sensitize children to refrain from swimming in dams unsupervised, or crossing rivers with heavy flowing waters or strong current.”