Johannesburg – A private ceremony will be held for the families of two special forces members missing at sea in Namibia, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Tuesday.

The purpose of the ceremony was for the families to conduct rituals in accordance with their culture, SA Navy spokesman Captain Zamo Sithole said in a statement.

Captain Kgabo Wilson Mabutla, 27, from Ga-Matlala in Polokwane, and Corporal Senatla AbelSebooa, 27, from Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, have been missing since 6 October. Both are members of the special forces regiment.

They disappeared in a boat accident during a SA Development Community special forces training exercise in Sandwich Harbour, Walvis Bay, Namibia.

An extensive search was carried out, but the operation had now been scaled down, Sithole said. 

SAPA