BADFONTEIN – Rescue workers had to tackle very challenging terrain to recover the body of Mr Craig Tshabalala (22) of Johannesburg who plummeted 300 metres to his death in the Verlorenkloof/Badfontein area late Saturday afternoon.
Due to the time and terrain the recovery could only take place the following day.
Rescue worker Mr Deon Broekman of N3 Lydenburg Rapid Response, said he was summoned to the scene shortly after the incident had occurred. “We received the call just after 16:00. Tshabalala and four of his friends went on a hiking trail when he apparently wandered off and ended up at the edge of a cliff where he slipped and fell down a slope. One of his friends managed to get to him, but he was unfortunately already dead. While the other two plotted the GPS coordinates, his friend made his way back to the lodge.”
The search for Tshabalala’s body was called off later that night due to poor visibility and could only continue the next morning, when a light aircraft was used to locate his remains. “We circled the location where he had fallen, but we couldn’t spot him from the air. He was wearing a khaki shirt which camouflaged him to an extent.
Meanwhile, police officials Capts Pottie and Joey Potgieter, as well as WOs André de Lange and Danie Theron, accompanied by Off-road Rescue Unit volunteers,
Mr Jacques Stassen and Mr Anton Strydom, were climbing up the kloof in search of the victim.
“While we were circling the area, Potgieter and the team discovered the body and signalled to us,” Broekman added. It took the team on the ground 90 minutes to reach the body and another two and a half hours to retrieve it.
The newspaper was informed that Shabalala was from Johannesburg and his father, Mr Patrick Shabalala, was an SAPS official. A sombre atmosphere greeted journalists when they arrived at the scene the following morning. They were not allowed near it until the body was recovered at about 11:00.
“It was very challenging and this operation again proved that we need to stay fit to be able to perform our duties. Some of us suffer from a fear of heights and it was nerve-racking to try and reach the victim on the steep slope.
The terrain was covered with grass, but there were several hidden rocks which could have caused serious injury, should we have fallen,” Potgieter said.
Broekman said Tshabalala had severe head and spinal injuries and it was highly unlikely that he would have survived the fall. His body was taken to the state mortuary at Themba Hospital near White River.
The directors of Verlorenkloof Estate Shareblock (Pty) Ltd expressed its deepest sympathy to the Tshabalala family, as well as to the Dyamonds, RCI guests at Verlorenkloof, with whom he was staying.
“The board conveys its immense gratitude to all SAPS personnel, in particular Col Chris Heymans, Capt Pottie Potgieter and his team, the Off Road Rescue Unit who voluntarily assisted, as well as the N3 Lydenburg Rapid Response for the deployment of the search aircraft, owned
and piloted by another volunteer, Mr Dean Hunter.”
Watch the video of the rescue below. Please be advised that this video is not suitable for sensitive viewers.
