Pretoria – The search and rescue mission to find a missing three-month-old baby who was swept away with congregants who were performing a ritual, has been disrupted by persistent rain in Joburg.
On Monday, City of Joburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson, Xolile Khumalo, said they can only confirm on Tuesday whether the search will continue.
Khumalo added that the search has now reached Katherine and Grayston Road in Sandton
The baby went missing while in the company of congregants that were swept away on 3 December during a baptism ceremony in the Jukskei River.
Fifteen bodies have been recovered since the incident. The names of the deceased have yet to be released.
Speaking to SABC, City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Community Safety, David Tembe, said they are concerned about the conditions in which the search teams are working.
“The challenge is there are a lot of things and that might cause our officers to seek treatment after that.
“And we can see that the water there is not clean.
“We have got dead dogs and other people use the river for dumping…
“But our officers are doing all their best to ensure that the family can get closure,” he told the broadcaster.
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