According to sources, a 27-year-old South African man called Ronald Rikhotso drowned during his church baptism in the Groot Letaba River in Nwamarhanga hamlet, Limpopo.
On March 18, 2023, the victim reportedly slid into the water and drowned shortly after being baptized. Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the Limpopo police spokeswoman, confirmed the incident in a statement released on Sunday.
“The police in Giyani have opened a case of inquest after a baptism took a tragic turn when a 27-year-old male congregant slipped into the water and drowned soon after baptism in Groot Letaba River in Nwamarhanga village on March 18, 2023.”
“According to the information, the church congregants, led by their priest, had been performing religious ritual, and after they concluded the session, one of the congregants went back to the river to collect water. The 27-year-old man, identified as Ronald Rikhotso, reportedly slipped and drowned,” he said.
Colonel Ledwaba revealed in a statement that the police were alerted of the situation, and that divers from the SAPS Provincial Search and Rescue Unit recovered the victim’s corpse from the river.
After the event, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, the Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, warned the people to exercise caution when using dams and waterways for any reason, including religious activities.
