UPDATE: Maphumulo family of seven plunges to watery death

While on their way to a traditional function, a Maphumulo family of seven, including a baby and toddler, plunged to their death when their white Toyota Venture crashed into the Mvutshane Dam on Sunday.

Samkelo Ncalane (17), Gqomile Mpungose (31), Wandile Ngcobo (18) and three siblings Thabiso (14), Abongwe (three years) and Nkazimulo Ncalane (10 months) all died trapped in the car.

The driver, Zwelihle Ncalane (34) was ejected out of the windscreen.

One of the residents, Eric Khanyile was the last to see Zwelihle in the water.

“I heard the screaming and the crash and ran down to the dam bridge. I only saw Zwelihle and lots of oil in the water.

“I jumped in to help him, but he was too heavy for me to drag out and he was pulling me under the water.

“Another man came running with a rope and managed to pull me out, but we could not help him. I failed,” said Khanyile.

While watching the wrecked car being pulled out of the water, Zwelihle’s brother Nksentsha Ncalane said he cannot come to terms with the death of his family.

“I could not sleep all night, my mind is driving me mad. We have often complained about this dam wall, because the bridge does not have any barriers on the sides to stop cars or people from falling into the water. It is dangerous.”

Zwelihle was a male nurse at Isithebe Clinic (Mandeni) and was a soft spoken and humble person according to the clinic’s operations manager, sister Phumlile Nxele.

“He was very committed to his work and ran a program to help people on chronic medication. We don’t know yet who will take over the program,” said Nxele.

Maphumulo deputy major, Zama Ncalane posted a message on her Facebook page and said that she was saddened to hear her family was in the accident.

“I heard about the accident and asked my dad, who is a councillor at the Maphumulo municipality, to go check what happened, only to find out that they were our relatives,” said Zama.

The family were not far from their home, when the driver lost control of the vehicle while going downhill, hit the wall of the Mvutshane Dam, between Stanger and Greytown, and rolled into the water.

SAPS K9 Unit, SAPS Search and Rescue and IPSS Medical Rescue’s aquatic team spent all afternoon in the water on Sunday and found the vehicle at a depth of about five metres.

All six passengers had drowned inside the car, while the driver’s body was found a couple of metres away from the vehicle.

The car was pulled out on Monday morning.

https://www.facebook.com/Ipssmedical/videos/1725235100885116/

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