A Spring Day tradition has ended with a young man dead
PRETORIA — A Spring Day tradition of splashing water on strangers has ended with a family burying 20 year old Tshepang Nyathi and a 53 year old man remaining behind bars on a murder charge after a celebration in Refilwe, Cullinan, turned deadly.
Nyathi was laid to rest on Wednesday, eight days after he was allegedly stabbed during Spring Day celebrations on 1 September.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Nyathi was among a group of young people pouring water on one another and people passing through Refilwe when they allegedly attempted to splash the accused.
An altercation followed and the man allegedly produced a knife and stabbed Nyathi. He was taken to a local clinic, where he later died. The accused was subsequently apprehended and allegedly assaulted by community members before being arrested at Ekangala Hospital.
The 53 year old appeared in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and abandoned his application for bail. The case has been postponed to 27 October for further investigation.
Nyathi’s death has since pushed what has become a familiar Spring Day activity in parts of Gauteng into a wider debate over where celebration ends and unwanted behaviour begins.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi has confirmed that deliberately pouring water on another person without consent can amount to common assault. A victim would still need to make a formal complaint for police to investigate such an offence.
The warning follows several incidents during this year’s celebrations. Two Tshwane buses were damaged during Spring Day activities, affecting more than 300 passengers after the vehicles had to be removed from service. Videos also showed water being thrown at buses and people climbing onto public transport vehicles.
None of that diminishes the seriousness of the allegation facing the man accused of killing Nyathi. Whether someone had been splashed with water forms part of the circumstances surrounding the confrontation, but the accused must now answer to a murder charge in court.
The case has left two consequences from a single confrontation: a young man has been buried by his family, while another man remains in custody awaiting the continuation of criminal proceedings.
For communities where splashing strangers has become part of welcoming spring, Nyathi’s death has also delivered a painful warning that a tradition regarded by some as harmless fun is not necessarily welcomed by everyone.
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