Tzaneen Dam jumper identified
A 48-year-old man drowned after jumping into Tzaneen Dam, marking the third incident in the last four years and raising concerns about safety in the area.
TZANEEN – The man who allegedly jumped into the Tzaneen Dam from the Tzaneen Twin Bridges, has been identified as 48-year-old Phillie Vhuma by a next of kin.
The incident took place at around 07:00 on Sunday morning.
“According to an eyewitness who was doing morning exercises, he saw a man wearing a yellow t-shirt and dark pants standing on top of the bridge at Tzaneen dam. After an hour, he saw the man jump into the dam, struggle to swim and ultimately drown,” said police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
The body was only retrieved at around 17:30 by the rescue team.
In 2023 a similar incident happened at the same place, when a woman parked her Range Rover and jumped into the river and drowned. Also, in 2021 a 30-year-old male also jumped at the very same spot.
This has brought questions around safety in the dam.
