Body recovered in the Apies River

The South African Police Service (SAPS) Diving Unit assisted with recovering the body of a man that was spotted floating in the Apies River under a bridge after he was reportedly swept away after heavy downpours on Friday, February 3.

Spokesperson for Tshwane emergency services, Deputy-chief Charles Mabaso, said that his department received a call at approximately 16:50 that three men had been swept away by the Apies River near the Pretoria Zoo.

Mabaso said that emergency responders were dispatched to the incident.

“Upon arrival at the incident, two men reported that they had been swept away by the river the previous day and had managed escape, while the third man could not escape.
“While by searching for the third man, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Diving Unit assisted with recovering the body of a man that was spotted floating in the Apies River under a bridge on the K8 (Rosslyn Road).”

Rescue technicians from the City of Tshwane worked with the SAPS Diving Unit to recover the body from the river.

The two men that escaped confirmed that the recovered body was that of the third man that got swept away with them.

Mabaso said “We would like to advise people to avoid bridges over rivers and the rivers themselves when it is raining.

“It may be raining upstream, which causes the water levels to swell without any warning.

“The storm water systems may carry a lot of water into river, which may cause the water levels to rise rapidly and without warning.

Mabaso said that the circumstances surrounding the incident would be investigated by SAPS.

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