A tour guide (56) was rescued from Komati River in Komatipoort this morning, Friday 29 December 2023 around 11:00. Meanwhile two other men are still missing after being swept away in the river.
Police report indicates that on 28 December 2023 at around 20:00 a tour guide working in Mozambique is said to have been driving a vehicle on a trip to pick up some guests from South Africa to drop them in Mozambique.
It is further reported that he tried to drive over a low water bridge (in Komati River) when the water swept the vehicle he was driving.
Today Mpumalanga police divers in collaboration with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) based in Hoedspruit managed to rescue the man through a helicopter brought by the soldiers however the car is still stuck inside the river.
Meanwhile earlier that day (28 December 2023) around 13:00 another man whose identity is unknown was attempting to cross the same low water bridge at Komati River then he was washed away. Police divers are still looking for him and he has not yet been found.
Further reports indicate that another man from Kanyamazane reportedly ran into a nearby river on Thursday, 28 December 2023 after an alleged quarrel from his house. The man is still being sought and has not been found as yet.
The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has praised the rescue team and also pleaded with members of the public to avoid risking their lives by crossing low lying bridges during rainy days.
