After heavy rainfall forced evacuations across Kruger National Park this past weekend, footage has emerged of one driver taking what he said was a ‘calculated’ gamble on a flooded bridge.

Grant and Stacey Southey posted a video of themselves driving across the flooded low-water bridge over the Olifants River in the park on social media, and it sparked mixed reactions from viewers, with some calling it brave, while others labelled it reckless.

“We considered all the risks and dangers before finally deciding to cross the river,” said Grant after the video received backlash.

The couple, who live in Mbombela, insist they carried out a thorough risk assessment before attempting the crossing. “I’m trained and involved in search-and-rescue, and we looked at all the possibilities before we crossed,” Grant told Lowvelder.

He explained that the video was actually taken in late November 2025, while they were staying at Balule camp. “We crossed the bridge a number of times during the day, but it wasn’t underwater at the time. When we returned late afternoon, we saw that the Balule low-water bridge was flooded.”

At first, he said, they had decided not to take the risk. A few kilometres away, they encountered a couple touring Africa in a large 4×4. “We told them the bridge was underwater and might be dangerous. They said they wanted to look for themselves.”

Back at the bridge, the 4×4 couple announced they would cross. Southey and his wife hesitated but eventually followed, after weighing every possible scenario. “This was the same risk assessment one does during a search-and-rescue effort,” he said.

SANParks has reminded the public to obey road closures and exercise caution.

Watch the footage here: