NELSPRUIT – Local police divers are working around the clock to search for the bodies who have drowned in flooding rivers and streams.
Water levels have risen considerably as a result of the heavy rain which the province has been receiving since last week. To date, 11 drownings have been reported. Nine of the bodies have been successfully retrieved and the time of going to press, divers were still searching for the other two. In addition to this, police divers, paramedics and volunteers also managed to save 12 people who had been trapped by the rivers and streams in flood.
Drownings
March 4
Heavy rain started to pour down in Mpumalanga on that Tuesday. Capt Pottie Potgieter and his wife, Capt Joey Potgieter of the Inland Water Police and Diving Services stationed at White River, were summoned to the Highveld to retrieve the bodies of three people who had drowned.
The first was a man (20) who had drowned near Greylingstad; the second a 10-year-old boy who died in Volksrust and a little girl of 11 years who lost her life in Amsterdam. “In all three instances, the people were trying to cross low-water bridges they usually use to get to work and school. They most probably didn’t realise that the level had risen that much and were swept away by strong currents,” the Potgieters said. While they were retrieving bodies, their colleagues were busy with rescue missions in the Lowveld.
March 6
Two days later, they were called to Piet Retief to retrieve the body of a two-year-old boy who had fallen into a hole that had been dug for a long drop. “Unfortunately, because of the rain, the hole filled with water and the boy, who obviously couldn’t swim, had drowned.”
March 7
Police divers were alerted of four drownings last Friday. The first body they retrieved was that of a 46-year-old man who had drowned in a submerged grotto near Lydenburg. It was a particularly difficult retrieval as the divers had to be lowered into the water with ropes. When they finally found the body, it had to be pulled up against the slippery surface.
The second incident reported for the day was that of a man (30) who had tried to cross a river near Amersfoort with his horse. The horse got pulled under the water and although the animal was able to get out, its rider couldn’t.
Lowvelder reported on Tuesday on Mr Sanny Mashaba who fell into the Crocodile River at Schagen that night when he walked on a bridge’s railings, lost his balance and fell. Divers are still searching for his body. They would have returned to the scene yesterday (Thursday) with the SAPS helicopter and jet skis to continue the search.
On Monday, they were also called to Badplaas to search for a 50-year-old man who had drowned. They returned to the scene the following day and on Wednesday to continue with the search. The body of a 12-year-old boy who had lost his life in a donga at Ermelo, was also successfully recovered.
Rescues
Lowvelder reported on some of the several rescue divers, paramedics and volunteers of Off-road Rescue Unit had embarked on last week. Another rescue worth mentioning, was that of Mr Butini Ndlovu who had been trapped by the flooding Sand River near Hazyview for two days before he was saved last Thursday. Joey said they suspected that he slept under the bridge at night. The river’s level rose quickly and Ndlovu was stuck. Passers-by didn’t notice him straight away and the police was only notified of his predicament two days later.
WO Charl van Niekerk brought Ndlovu to safety. By then he was freezing and was given Rehidrat to regain his strength.
The South African Weather Service compiled a list of its stations that recorded more than 100 millimetres of rain during the first 10 days of March.
In Mpumalanga they are:
• Komatidraai: 303
• Nelspruit: 273
• Belfast: 192
• Skukuza: 180
• eMahlaleni: 161
• Carolina: 154
• Ermelo: 150
• Kruger Mpumalanga International: 147
• Machadodorp: 140.
