Call to faith-based leaders to ask for help during baptisms
Lifesaving SA says it's concerned about the recent spate of drowning incidents during church baptisms.
In Gauteng, the bodies of 15 people have been recovered so far after a group of congregants was swept away by flash floods during a ceremony in the Jukskei River over the weekend.
READ: Jukskei river baptism tragedy death toll rises to 15
In KwaZulu-Natal, two worshippers, including the pastor, drowned in Inanda Dam last week.
Lifesaving SA's Dhaya Sewduth has appealed to faith-based leaders to turn to them for assistance to ensure the safety of their baptisms.
"They can just act as safety officers and advise them which is the safest part of the beach to enter because as our advisory says, the ocean and other water bodies are very dynamic environments and often it may look as if it is safe, but there could be rip currents and the water body itself could be unsafe.
"But the lifeguards know exactly which are the safe spots along the coastline."
