The body of a woman who was retrieved from Kliprivier in Olifantsvlei on Wednesday has been confirmed to be that of Ayaphiwe Ndothi (18). Ayaphiwe and a 21-year-old man, who is still missing and emergency rescuers are still searching for his body, were swept away on Saturday afternoon during a cleansing ritual by the sangoma.

"WE ARE BURDENED"

Ayaphiwe's family went to the Diepkloof Pathology Lab on Thursday to have another look and verify if indeed it was their daughter. Her uncle, Sabelo Ndothi, said it was hard to identify her properly on Wednesday after her body was recovered because the body was covered in mud but they managed to identify her with her eyes and feet yesterday. "We've seen the body and as a family, we can confirm that it is Ayaphiwe. From hereon, we will follow all the processes including filling in some forms so we can come and claim her body from the government mortuary," he said, adding that they were deeply pained and saddened by their loss. "This is a heavy load for us to carry as a family, we are really sad especially now that we've seen that she is really gone. We would like to thank all the forensic search teams, the law enforcement and everyone who was involved in getting us to this point,"

BE CAREFUL 

He said this incident was really unfortunate and asked parents to keep a close eye on their kids. "Such incidents keep happening but we don't learn from them and now we have to deal with such consequences. We've lost such a loving and warm child." Prophets and sangomas were warned that rivers are full so they should refrain from doing rituals that will put peoples' lives at risk. EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said a traditional healer, who was performing the rituals for Ayaphiwe and the missing man, managed to get out of the river unharmed. Rescue teams who've been conducting their search since Sunday have now bolstered their resources by roping in their K9 unit," she said. Ayaphiwe's family is now preparing to lay her to rest.