Water Safety campaign aims at reducing drowning incidents
The purpose of the campaign was to encourage the community to refrain from conduction baptism ceremonies and rituals, swimming and crossing flooded rivers.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety in the City of Johannesburg, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku and the Emergency Management Services launched the Safety Water Campaign in Orlando West on December 05.
The purpose of the campaign was to encourage the community to refrain from conducting baptism ceremonies and rituals, swimming and crossing flooded rivers.
The initiative comes in response to tragic incidents that occurred in 2022 and earlier this year which it included flash floods in the Jukskei River and fatalities during traditional ceremonies at the Klip River.
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Addressing the media, Tshwaku said moving forward, tradition healers and pastors need to contact the Emergency Management Services prior to performing any baptism or persuasion rituals so as to prevent events involving immersing and drowning.
“We are appealing to traditional healers and pastors that before they go to the rivers or any other places that consist of heavy water, they need to alert us so that we can be able to deploy the EMS especially the Aquatic Unit as well as the JMPD to help,” said Tshwaku.
Attendees included church and traditional leaders, community members, and ward council members. The focus of the event was on water rituals, crimes surrounding dams, and the significance of reporting incidents to the appropriate authorities in order to guarantee safety.
Traditional healer, Gogo Nomahlubi Ngwenya said she is begging other traditional healers to be mindful of the type of rivers they are near when carrying out their rituals and purifying people because water can be dangerous.
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“When we go to the rivers, we mostly go there to cleanse the spirits so that there may be light in that person’s life. I advise my fellow izangoma that when we go there, we must be led by the true spirit, the spirit of truth. One must pray before performing any ritual,” said Ngwenya.
The Water Safety Campaign extends from December to March 2024, encompassing the entire summer season.
