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Three-year-old Elihle Renqe.
- Sheila Renqe and her three-year-old grandson, Elihle Renqe, were buried in Soweto on Friday.
- The two were among congregants who were swept away by flash floods during a baptism ceremony in the Jukskei River on 3 December.
- Three-month-old Snenhlanhla Renqe is still missing.
A Gauteng family has buried two relatives who drowned in the Jukskei River while holding hope authorities would find their still-missing three-month-old baby.
Grandmother Sheila Renqe and three-year-old Elihle Renqe died when they were swept away by the Jukskei River on 3 December during a baptism ceremony. They were buried in Soweto on Friday.
Three-month-old baby Snenhlanhla Renqe is still missing. Her mother, Zikhona Renqe, survived the incident.
Fifteen bodies have since been recovered. The pastor, Kind Mvundla, survived after he was rescued by congregants.
Speaking to News24 on Friday, Sheila's sister, Elizabeth Mokoarenqe, said the family had suffered an enormous loss.
READ | Jukskei drownings: Pastor who led baptism at river has not been arrested, say police
"The person we are going to bury here today is my sister. We are hurt by what has happened; we do not even know what to do as a family. I was even worse because I couldn't even breathe. As a family, we are hurt and broken. We don't wish this upon anyone," Mokoarenqe added.
She said the deaths were a shock to them as they were unexpected.
Sheila Renqe was buried on Friday in Soweto.
Supplied supplied
"We often see these things happen to others. Now that it has hit us, we understand that yes, indeed, this really does happen."
The family delayed the funeral hoping authorities would locate Snenhlanhla.
Mokoarenqe said:
It's painful that today we will only bury two people as the three-month-old baby has not been found. Nobody is telling us what is happening. At this point, we ask that they [the rescue team] do their best to find the baby so she can be buried along with her grandmother.
She added the family still needed answers from the priest who led the baptism. He has been missing since the incident.
"We need the pastor to give us a clue of what happened. We want to know what happened by the river and what happened to the child. He is the one who has the answers."
Gauteng police said an inquest docket was opened.
READ | Storm damage: Joburg still waiting on a response to its intention to declare local state of disaster
"The pastor was found four days after the incident and police obtained a statement from him. Once the investigations are completed, the docket will be taken to the inquest court for a decision," said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo.
Gauteng Emergency Medical Services said the search for Snenhlanhla had resumed on Wednesday.
"As you would remember, we said we would resume the search after four or five days to allow for the water levels to subside. This was done to allow for our team to access the strainers," City of Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Xolile Khumalo added.
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