Waiter risks his life to save flood victim
Calvin, who had done a basic life-saving course, pushed some plastic bottles under the collected debris around them and got the man to hold on to it and pulled him to a bank near the R102.
A quick-thinking waiter saved the life of one of two men whose vehicle was swept off Old St Faiths Road in Umtentweni during last month’s floods.
The body of the second occupant was recovered the following day.
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Police spokesman Captain Petros Mpinge confirmed that Thabiso Lennox Suthu (40) was found next to the stream adjacent to the Abingdon Road shopping centre in Umtentweni.
It is thought that Mr Suthu and his brother in-law (36) were returning from work when the tragedy struck.
“The vehicle they were travelling in came to a halt on the R102 in Umtentweni as the the road was flooded. Both the occupants exited the vehicle through the windows, and one was saved by a passer-by,” said Cpt Mpinge.
Waiter Calvin Harris was standing on the deck of Jaxx Restaurant watching the heavy downpour, and the cars stopping and turning around at the flooded section of road, when he saw a bakkie attempting to navigate the water.
He noticed that the vehicle appeared to have stalled as its headlights had stopped working.
Worried that the people inside might be in trouble, Calvin raced towards the vehicle.
“By the time I had got from the restaurant’s deck to where the vehicle was, it was gone. In merely 30 seconds it had washed away,” he said.
Calvin was met by a pedestrian who told him there was a man who had managed to get out of the vehicle but couldn’t swim and was in trouble.
“By then, I could hear faint shouts for help. I swam out and spotted the man clinging to a tree, with water up to his neck. He was exhausted as the current was strong.”
Calvin, who had done a basic life-saving course, pushed some plastic bottles under the debris around them, urged the man to hold on to the makeshift flotation device and pulled him to safety.
“Someone needed help. I am a relatively strong swimmer and it felt good to rescue someone. I just feel bad I was unable to save the other person in the vehicle but I never saw him,” he said.
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