Family conducts ritual to retrieve spirit of George flood victim [Video]

On Wednesday morning, ten days after the tragic building collapse in George, an Eastern Cape family who lost one of their own among the 33 fatalities conducted a ritual to retrieve the spirit of their loved one. 

 Andile Magxwalisa was among the six individuals initially identified by the Victim Identification Centre and Forensic Pathology Service.

Andile Magxwalisa was among the 81 workers in the building when it collapsed on Victoria Street the previous Monday.

His family conducted a cultural ceremony to retrieve his spirit from the site of the tragedy.

“We are now collecting your soul from where the incident happened,” a family member said out loud. “We want you to be at peace. We want you to come with us to your family, where you will be laid to rest next to your family members who have also departed this world.”

For many black South Africans, retrieving spirits holds …