Central SA
Boy (17) drowns during initiation ceremony in Free State─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 15:26 Thu, 12 Jan 2023
A 17-year-old boy from Winburg in the Free State has drowned following an initiation ceremony.
It’s alleged that a teacher took 33 young boys for initiation bathing in a dam and when they finished he realised that one of the learners of the initiation school was missing.
According to police spokesperson Stephen Thakeng, the incident occurred on 6 January 2023 at about 03:30 at a 60-year-old's initiation school.
He adds that police were immediately informed after the teacher realised that one of the initiation learners was missing. SAPS divers were also summoned to the scene.
Thakeng says the deceased's cousin who was on the scene, Hendrick van Wyk, identified the boy as Teboho Wilson Shomelekae after his body was found and retrieved from the dam. Shomelekae was certified dead by Emergency Medical Services.
Thakeng says the police have registered an inquest for further investigations.
