All this came to a sudden halt, and shock and pandemonium reigned supreme when two clergymen, Bishop Samson Matshoko (74) of Phadzima and his close friend, Evangelist Daniel Mudau (63) of Matidze, drowned in the river which the church had used for baptisms before.
Community members at the scene where the two drowned during a baptism.
Eyewitness Ms Meisie Tshilangano, a cousin of the bishop's, said all went well at the church and after the formal service at the church, they headed for the river where the new members were to be baptised. "My cousin had already baptised three people when a woman wanted to be the next, but he called his friend to come first. When they were together in the water, we could see that strange things were happening in the water and that they were experiencing problems.”
Pastor Freddy Siphugu, a senior pastor at the church, said everything happened very fast, “like a terrifying movie.” He mentioned Mudau had asked for a special baptism calledTshiwasha. "Even old members can get this type of baptism. Unlike a normal baptism where people are immersed three times, in this special baptism, a person must be immersed under water seven times," explains Siphugu.
He added that after Mudau had been immersed seven times he looked tired and dizzy. According to Siphugu, Mudau then tried to regain his balance by grabbing Matshoko. In the process, Matshoko was pushed back into the deep water. Mudau then fell and when the bishop realised that Mudau was drowning, he called for help. “Together with three other people who were standing outside, I jumped into the water and tried to save Mudau, but we couldn’t succeed,” he said.
He said they got out of the water and tried to come up with a proper plan on how to save Mudau. "We then realized that two of the men could not swim and Bishop Matshoko's son, Fhatuwani, and I went back into the water. By that time, the bishop was trying to save Mudau. Unfortunately, Mudau had grabbed Matshoko around his neck in the process of trying to get himself out of the water. As the two old men were struggling with each other under water, Fhatuwani tried to save them, but he failed.”
He explained that he realised if he continued in his effort to help them, they would also drag him under the water, as both were tired.
"After the struggle, which took almost 20 minutes, the two old men disappeared under the water for good," he recalls. Their bodies were later removed from the water by a Netcare employee and police divers.
Ms Tshilangano said the family were saddened by the deaths, but they had put everything in the hands of God. "Our cousin was a very religious person who had strict rules. He would never hurt a fly and he taught us not to bear grudges against others. Just last week, they went on an all-night prayer vigil in the bushes and he told us things we should do, as if he had a premonition about his death. We are happy that he died in the hands of the Lord and not any other place," she said.
Nditsheni Mudau, the son of Evangelist Mudau, who is also a leader at the UAAC, said the death of his father was a further blow to the family, as they had lost their beloved mother two months ago. "We find solace in the fact that he died like a soldier in the fold of God.”
According to Siphugu, Mudau will be buried tomorrow (Saturday) at his home village of Ha-Mataidza, while Matshoko will be buried at Phadzima village on Sunday.
Siloam police spokesperson W/O Edward Tharaga said they had opened an inquest docket in connection with the incident and warned communities not to venture into rivers for swimming and baptism without checking the depth of the area where they are.
He further warned the community that there were crocodiles in all the rivers that could harm them.Limpopo Mirror Religion
