The 54-year-old Isaac Rahlane, who was stuck in a tree inside the Letaba River, near the taxi rank in Claude Wheatley Street in Tzaneen, was yesterday finally rescued by an army helicopter and the police.

“The concerted effort and constant communication led to the SANDF helicopter airlifting the stuck man from a makeshift island in the middle of the Letaba river opposite the Johannesburg-Tzaneen taxi rank on the outskirts of Tzaneen. While still trying to rescue the stuck 54-year-old, a member of the public tried to sneak into the overflowing strong current but got stuck in the trees [and he also had to be] airlifted out of the river. Both the 54-year-old and the 36-year-old Titus Motene were transported by ambulance to Van Belden Hospital for medical evaluation,” says Tzaneen SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Maurice Nkhwashu.

Isaac is said to have been stuck from Saturday and the events leading to his ordeal are unknown. He is said to have a small shack on the riverbank and was overcome by the rising river.

“Police, together with the rescue team, stayed on the scene until the chopper arrived to lift the man from the tree in the flooding river. Unconfirmed reports of a second man that is said to have been swept away by the water while trying to save the rescued man, could not be verified. The army is currently looking for the rumoured man,” adds Nkhwashu.

The SANDF continues its support to many flood-stricken communities and offered disaster relief to the rescued two community members. “In doing this task, the SANDF operates in concert with various government disaster management agencies as part of Operation Chariot to reach out to many trapped villagers who were severely affected by flooding conditions caused by torrential rains leading to localised flooding over most parts of South Africa since Friday,” says SANDF director of defence communication Brigadier General Andries Mahapa.

Amid warnings of disruptive rains over several parts of the country resulting in the declaration of a state of disaster by the president, the SANDF activated its inherent search and rescue capabilities which received a request from the Mpumalanga disaster management centre to render much-needed relief to flood victims in Limpopo.

“The rescue operation that saw two civilians rescued from the banks of the river was conducted using a hoist technique by the Oryx helicopter from 17 Squadron supported by ER24 crew members. The rescued flood victims were later taken to Tzaneen Clinic for treatment of dehydration and related conditions after [which they] were released from the clinic,” concludes Mahapa.