SAPS Water Policing and Diving Services conducted search and rescue operations across Gauteng, recovering three bodies and rescuing multiple victims during a week of deadly flash floods.
Image: File
A 16-year-old girl who slipped while crossing a flooded stream was among three victims recovered by SAPS divers during a week of deadly flash floods that ravaged communities across Gauteng.
From Saturday, March 29 to Thursday, April 3, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Gauteng Water Policing and Diving Services responded to multiple water-related emergencies, resulting in three tragic recoveries and several rescues.
In one of the first incidents, Tshwane SAPS members recovered the body of the teenage girl in Tsakane.
“Allegedly, the 16-year-old girl had slipped into the flooded stream running between Tsakane and Duduza while crossing over a pipe the previous day,” said police spokesperson Warrant Officer Grant Giblin.
Her body was found approximately two kilometres from the point of entry and handed over to Tsakane SAPS.
On Monday morning around 4am, Sedibeng officers responded to a vehicle submerged in the Rietspruit River in Sebokeng. A white Toyota Hilux had landed in the river, with the driver stranded on top of the vehicle.
“An inflatable raft was used to rescue the relieved victim and bring him to safety,” Giblin confirmed.
Later that day, Johannesburg SAPS members recovered the body of a man in his twenties from Westdene Dam in Sophiatown. He was found wearing blue shorts and a black T-shirt, and was handed over to local authorities.
Search efforts continued into Tuesday, where a heroic moment unfolded. Warrant Officer Bann and his K9 partner, Optimus, assisted in locating a decomposed body swept away the previous week in the Natalspruit River.
“Approximately six kilometres from the alleged point of entry, Optimus suddenly took the lead all the way, to where he and his partner, Warrant Officer Bann discovered the badly decomposed body of the victim in the Rietspruit River close to Napoleon Road,” Giblin said.
It marked Optimus’s last day on duty after a decade of service.
By Thursday, Sedibeng officers had rescued a second victim from the Rietspruit River, an elderly man swept away by floodwaters.
“The traumatised man was handed over to ambulance personnel for assessment.”
Authorities urge extreme caution around rivers and dams during the ongoing heavy rainfall.
“Precautionary measures are emphasised to avert needless loss of life,” said Giblin.
“Low-lying bridges and pipes used for crossing rivers regularly claim victims during these floods and should be avoided.”
Witnesses to water-related incidents are encouraged to provide accurate landmarks to assist search and rescue efforts.
Police confirmed that inquest dockets for these cases are under investigation.
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