EXCLUSIVE Riverman rescued four days later

■ Roelof de Jonge

A homeless man was swept from his shanty home next to the Letaba River and forced to survive on an island for four days before finally being saved.

The unidentified homeless man who lived in a dwelling behind Claude Wheatley Street, was unexpectedly swept into the heavy current of the Great Letaba River on the morning of Friday, the 11th of February when said river burst into flood due to the heavy rains. He somehow managed to make it to an outcrop in the river and clung onto the debris long enough to position himself onto what essentially became an island upon which he remained stranded for almost a week until finally rescued.

The man was unable to swim across the river on either side of his island as the currents were just too strong and he very likely would have lost his life. In vain, he attempted to gain the attention of passersby, because of the distance between his position and the pedestrian walkway behind Tzaneng Mall, accompanied by the loud rumble of the flooding river, nobody heard him.

It was on the morning of Tuesday, the 14th of February that a passerby finally heard his cries and called for help. Soon a massive crowd gathered on the banks of the river and emergency services were activated. The volunteer Search and Rescue South Africa (SARZA) members based in the Mopani District under the guidance of Louis Menge in support of the SAPS Water Wing Search and Rescue Unit came to the man’s rescue.

Divers from the SAPS Water Wing first attempted to retrieve the man with a rubber duck. Because of the strong current of the river and heavy debris smashing into the craft, the boat capsized with the divers. The divers in the boat missed their target and had to abandon this rescue attempt.

It was then decided to call for a helicopter to reach the stranded man. Because of the noise of the rushing water, there were no ways to communicate with the man to inform him that the rescue attempt was going to be called off to the next morning, Wednesday the 15th of February. Everyone from the rescue teams kept their fingers crossed that the flood victim would stay put until the next day, which he thankfully did.

The rescue mission was complicated by various factors including that the only helicopter was from the South African Airforce coming from Mbombela (Nelspruit). The helicopter crew first had to wait for the clouds to clear before they took off. The Air Force crew headed first to Hoedspruit Air Force Base where they refueled before heading to Tzaneen. After retrieving a very hungry and tired survivor from his island, the helicopter rescue team noticed another person stranded not very far from the first flood victim they retrieved. He too was brought to safety and treated by paramedics on the scene. With more rain expected over the next few days which could result in more flooding, SAPS WO Mabetlela from the Limpopo SAPS Water Wing and Rescue Unit urged people to stay away from river banks and trying to cross flooded streams and rivers.