Cape Town - Police divers spent most of Friday searching a farm dam at the Rocking the Daisies music festival in Darling for the body of a young worker who was believed to have drowned.
The search was suspended when it got too dark, but the dam remained cordoned off last night as party-goers enjoyed the festivities only about 20m away.
The missing man, believed to be 21 and from Zimbabwe, was apparently working at the festival. Colleagues said he’d asked his boss if he could get a boerewors roll and take a swim in the dam.
They never saw him again, prompting the search.
“Police are searching for the man who has possibly drowned,” police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said.
“The identity of the man cannot be released at this stage,” he added. It is understood the man was last seen on Friday morning.
Darryn Lee, speaking on behalf of the Rocking the Daisies festival, said late on Friday the drowning could not be confirmed.
“At the moment the investigation is still going on. It’s still unconfirmed,” he said.
Lee said the dam remained cordoned off and he was unsure when or whether it would be reopened.
Asked if the incident had put a damper on the festival, he said the news had not spread very far, although it was doing the rounds on social media.
“I don’t think a lot of festival-goers know there’s an alleged incident,” Lee said.
But social media users reacted with shock, with some referring to the news as “awful”.
Others, however, did not appear to be aware of it and expressed their excitement at being there.
Rocking the Daisies started on Thursday and is set to end on Sunday.
The festival website hailed the event as the way to “officially kick off the summer season”.
It said there were more than 250 acts and 11 stages.
“Incorporating comedy, art, film and a variety of multi-faceted and multi-sensory experiences, festival-goers can expect an action-packed weekend of camping, good times, making incredible memories, the best in local and international entertainment, and more.”
Weekend Argus could not ascertain at the time of publication whether the search would resume today.
Weekend Argus
Police divers search the farm dam at the Rocking the Daisies festival in Darling on Friday, after a young worker was feared to have drowned.Picture: JASON BOUD