By Michelle van der Spuy
The public has been urged to avoid crossing flooded roads, bridges or streams after eight bodies were recovered following a tragic incident where a vehicle ended up in a stream in Heilbron due to recent flooding in the area.
Capt. Loraine Earle, a police communications officer, says preliminary investigations indicate the victims were travelling in a bakkie from one farm in the district to another on Saturday afternoon. They were reported missing the Sunday night after failed to reach their destination.
Earle says the passengers were travelling along a dirt road between two farms when the driver of the bakkie attempted to cross a low-water bridge over the Kliprivier. “The vehicle was swept away by strong currents, leading to the loss of multiple lives. The driver, a 71-year-old man, with his wife (62( and their three grandchildren, two boys aged 10 and one girl aged 14 were travelling together with their colleagues, a husband (34) and wife (33) with their two-year-old girl child.”
The police started the search for them on Monday 3 March. Search and rescue dogs with their handlers and police divers were immediately dispatched and after an extensive search operation, the bodies were retrieved from the water.
The victims have since been identified as Ditaba Isaac Mazibuko (71), Modiehi Elizabeth Mazibuko, Refilwe Jwalane Monyatsi (14), Luyanda Zengele (10), Sibusiso Brain Zengele (12), Patrick Mquega (34), Nthabiseng Agnes Toba (33), and Omphile Angela Toba (2).
Police have opened an inquest docket and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The police urges the community to exercise extreme caution during these rainy conditions and to avoid crossing flooded areas, particularly low-water bridges, rivers, and streams.
“We advise the public to avoid crossing flooded roads, bridges or streams, even if the water appears shallow, to not attempt to walk or drive through fast-moving water, as its depth and strength can be deceiving, or to find alternative routes and wait for water levels to subside before proceeding,” says Earle.
