The entire KwaZulu-Natal experienced severe flooding and extreme stormy weather conditions on July 24, 2016.

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Reports of flash flooding were received from all over.

On July 25 at 7.30pm, a report was received from the radio control room that Ntombi Cele had been washed off a low level bridge at Ezinqoleni.

Warrant Officer Francois Pretorius and Warrant Officer Romel da Rosa responded, said police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid.

Heavy downpours made their journey extremely dangerous and life threatening and they could only travel at 30km/h.

Meanwhile, Warrant Officer Marc Wiid and Warrant Officer Gabriel Nel went to the Hibberdene area to assist Warrant Officer Brian Henning from Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) whose vehicle had landed in a ditch.

They too battled to drive through the heavy downpour and  on dangerously slippery roads.

Strong winds also hampered their progress.

They battled for 45 minutes in total darkness and heavy downpour to get the vehicle out of the mud.

Warrant Officer Willow Le Roux and Sergeant Stanley Holloway from Port Shepstone K9 unit also arrived but they had no winch to assist.

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W/O Pretorius received another call about two vehicles which had been swept off a low level bridge in the Oshabeni area.

When W/O le Roux and Sgt Holloway reached the area after battling through heavy rains to get there. They met up with other emergency personnel and they could see that the river was in full flood. There was no sign of the vehicles which had been swept away or the two people who were in trouble – Lt-Col Wiid.

However they could hear people screaming for help in the dark. Sgt Holloway, a police diver, then donned his wetsuit and secured a rope around his waist.

W/O le Roux held onto the rope on the bank while Sgt Holloway entered the water and swam across. Members from fire department also assisted. After a search and listening to the screams for help, the two men in distress were found clinging to two different trees. A makeshift harness was made and they were pulled out.

Whilst returning to Port Shepstone on the N2 freeway, the members received yet another report of a car with one occupant that had been washed off a low level bridge in Izotsha.

The river had burst its banks and was flowing very fast. The officers however found the man in distress had managed to save himself.

W/O Pretorius and W/O da Rosa helped out in Nyandezulu, where a detective from Ezinqoleni was trapped in his vehicle after being washed away. A rope was secured around W/O da Rosa and he entered the water to rescue the detective who was standing on the back seat of his vehicle.

Both were brought to safety in were extreme and dangerous conditions.

The next day W/O Pretorius and W/O Nel went back to Ezinqoleni to look for the person who had drowned the previous night. After a search, the body was found three kilometres down river.

On July 29,  W/O Pretorius, W/O Nel, W/O Wiid and W/O da Rosa went to the Bhekitemba area at the request of Durban search and rescue members.

A man had been washed away in the Umlazi river on the night of July 25. Whilst searching the river which was still in flood, a report was received of a body at Cuttings Beach next to the Umlazi river mouth. The members went there, where they had to cross a 40 metre canal. They walked for a further 2.1 kilometres and found the body among the debris.

They put the body in a body bag which they had to carry back for 2.1 kilometres. Once reaching the canal, they had to lift the body above the 14 metre canal wall.

At 1pm, the members moved to Blue Lagoon  to help search for the body of Brenda Scrivens who was washed away during the storm.

An area of 10 kilometres was searched but without success.

The search continued until July 31.

During this  time members worked tirelessly, without thinking of their own safety and under severe and treacherous weather conditions, which were life threatening – Lt-Col Wiid.

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