Mbombela hero’s actions earn family precious time to bid farewell
A tow truck driver risked his life rescuing a man out of his burning car.
A man was given the chance to say his final goodbyes to his family after he was pulled from the fiery wreckage of his car by a tow truck driver, Wayne du Rand.
Adolph Ndlovu (45) had been driving on the R40 towards White River on Thursday December 1 just before 21:20 when a truck from White River turned into Wildberry Boulevard and allegedly swiped his bakkie near the We Buy Cars intersection.
Ndlovu’s bakkie was engulfed in flames almost instantly, trapping him inside.
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Du Rand, who works for Thomsons Towing, was on duty that evening and had stopped at a nearby garage when he heard a loud bang.
He said he did not see anything on the R40, and went into the garage shop to buy a cooldrink. It was when he got back onto the road near the traffic lights at the Mafunyane Waterpark that he saw something burning near We Buy Cars.
“I sped off towards the fire, and when I stopped and opened my door, I heard someone screaming for help inside a burning vehicle,” said Du Rand.
He started running towards the flames, putting out multiple calls to emergency services on Zello for help as he neared the burning bakkie.
“I got to the bakkie and just pulled open the door. The man was inside, asking for help. I was scared that if I pulled him out, I would hurt him even more due to the burns on his body, so I encouraged him to fall out of the car and roll away from the wreckage.”
Du Rand did not sustain any injuries.
He said by the time Ndlovu had rolled out of the vehicle, there were several bystanders around who had grabbed water from their cars, and with Du Rand, they started dousing Ndlovu to try and extinguish the flames that were still burning on his trousers.
“It is only human to want to help. I couldn’t sit back and wait for anyone else to get to the accident scene and help. I just ran as soon as I heard him crying out and knew I had to try and get him out of that bakkie as soon as possible.”
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Emer-G-Med’s spokesperson, Martin Jeffrey, said that had Du Rand not acted when he did, Ndlovu would have died while still trapped inside the burning vehicle.
“We were on scene three minutes after Du Rand had put out the call for help. Ndlovu had third-degree burns to 80% of his body and he was still completely conscious. He was speaking to us and told us who he was, where he worked and the name of his employer.
“We rushed him to Mediclinic Nelspruit, where there was a team waiting for us, and he was rushed inside. He died in the hospital the following morning,” said Jeffrey.
“Du Rand can be considered a hero. He put his own life at risk to help someone. He acted within the best interests of the patient and because of that, he was able to give Ndlovu’s family a chance to say their goodbyes.”
Ndlovu’s older brother, Aser, said that while the family is grieving the sudden and tragic loss, they were grateful to Du Rand for getting him out of the car.
“We wish to meet Wayne so that we can thank him in person, because he risked his life trying to save our brother. He gave us a chance to say goodbye to him,” said Aser.
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“We hope Wayne will continue to help people and hope that God will grant him all his wishes and protect him.”
Aser said Adolph was born and raised in Welverdiend Village in Bushbuckridge and that he is survived by his wife and three children.
“He was a very humble person. He was a quiet person who loved his family very much. We are saddened by his death and how he died, however, we have accepted that God chose that he will die in this way. We are all broken, especially his wife and kids.”
Aser said the family had not yet planned a funeral for Adolph, as they are still awaiting the post-mortem results from the state.
Adolph had been working for Africa Tyres in Rocky Drift for the past year, and his employer, Eugene Schäfer, said he was a very important part of the company.
“He was a very dedicated and proud man, and true to his nature. He was one of the hardest workers I have ever met. He always had a smile on his face and he will be missed by every person at the business.”
Nelspruit Police Station’s spokesperson, Captain Zandile Gqawa, said a case of reckless and negligent driving was opened and is currently under investigation.
