'We believe the river water is clean': River baptisms continue as cholera cases rise to 11

Churchgoers participating in baptism ceremonies in the Klip River, which was a suspected source of the cholera outbreak, believe the water is clean and safe.

The Gauteng health department has appealed to faith-based organisations not to put their members at risk of cholera and to rather conduct their baptisms in safer environments.

There have been 11 confirmed cholera cases in Gauteng and one death. In four recently confirmed cases, the people involved had taken part in baptism ceremonies in local rivers.

TimesLIVE went searching for spots where believers gathered for baptism ahead of the Easter weekend. In a catchment of the Klip River in Ennerdale we witnessed believers driving into the bushy area to wait their turn for cleansing, rituals or collecting water in buckets.

Adorned in white garments, on Thursday morning Bishop Bongile Ndlotseni, went into a stream and washed his face before dipping himself in the water while others prayed around him.

“We are preparing to cleanse our body and spirit because we believe that we must go into Passover with the right mind and body. We want to start Easter holy. Baptism is important to us as we also do it throughout the year.  

“Of course, we are concerned about cholera but we can’t test the water, all we can do is believe that the water is clean. As long as it looks a bit cleaner. The unfortunate part is that we still have to continue with our belief,” said Ndlotseni.

He said he has been a member of the church for 15 years and has never had issues with river baptisms.

“We come from different places across Gauteng.” said Ndlotseni.

TimesLIVE  also found a spot where rituals take place on a small rocky hill near the Jukskei river in Alexandra. This is where the locals say the Zion believers hold baptisms and rituals on a weekly basis.

But a woman at the Emmaus Apostolic Zion church in Alexandra said they were not holding baptism ceremonies over Easter.

“Our celebrations will start on Friday and end on Sunday. We will be congregating at a hall around Alex. We do baptise during the year, and not on Good Friday. We do it at Jukskei river in Lombardy,” she said.

“Although the laboratory results of the samples taken from the rivers concerned came back negative of the cholera strain, the risk of contracting this disease is still high for people who conduct their religious ceremonies in rivers and dams,” said Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehokom, Gauteng MEC for health and wellness.

Rev Joseph Letsholo  from the St Johns Apostolic Faith Mission in Alexandra said churches that baptise in the contaminated rivers bring shame to the faith.

“Our church is hygienic, there’s a protocol we follow. We have swimming pools at our headquarters in Germiston, we don’t go to rivers ... It’s terrible. Sometimes the men in those churches are the ones handling naked women for baptism, we don’t do that.

“We are concerned about these churches of people sitting under trees in the bushes, but if the government is not doing anything what can we say? The way they do things makes them look bogus. We have different beliefs, that’s why we’ve had other churches spraying people with doom in their faces.” said Letsholo.

The department is urging the public to visit the nearest health facilities when they present with symptoms of mild to severe and watery diarrhoea and dehydration so they can receive treatment. 

TimesLIVE

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