Two eyewitnesses to a boat accident that led to a family of four drowning in the Vaal River at the weekend say a lack of adherence to basic safety rules was to blame for the tragedy.
Among the deceased was a pregnant woman and a three-year-old toddler — both of whom were trapped under the vessel after it capsized. They died with their life jackets on. Another victim was identified as Keith Bekezela Matshona Dube. His body and that of a relative were found a short distance from the boat. They were also wearing their life jackets when they drowned.
A man who was among the first people at the scene and helped in rescue attempts has disputed the version that the incident was caused by the wake of another boat. He asked not to be identified.
“The cause of this accident was reckless endangerment by the boat driver and owner. No other boat was involved,” he said.
The boat was carrying double the permitted number of passengers and the skipper was untrained, he alleged.
The boat, which launched at the Sam Gross municipal jetty on the Vaal River, had 10 people on board including the skipper. It was meant to carry only five people.
“The boat was so overloaded it was barely floating when the people got on it. The way it was overloaded, it was inevitable if one person moved to one side of the boat and shifted the weighting, it would have taken on water. So that is the main cause.
“Other boats go up and down the river and they make waves, but there is no other boat that caused the accident; this was due to gross negligence.”
The boat's driver did not have a skipper's licence, he said.
“While I was on the scene he was asked if he had a skipper's licence and the guy said no.
“The problem is these accidents happen because people are reckless. They are not concerned about their own safety and they are reckless.
“
The man said he was traumatised and hurt by what he had witnessed.
Another witness who watched the boat a few minutes before the accident said she saw the boat pass while she was standing on the side of the docks at a hotel.
“I didn't count, but there were a lot of people on the boat. The boat was low in the water, you could barely see the colour of the boat.”
The woman, who spends most of her weekends near the water, said such accidents were rare and down to recklessness because of overloading.
“It's sad that it is something we saw, noticed and said 'look how deep that boat is, how full it is', and then that incident happened,” she said.
This is disputed by the victims' family.
Keith’s father Montini Matshona Dube told TimesLIVE Premium his son and a group of family members were celebrating a birthday.
About 20 relatives took turns to do a cruise on a 12-seater boat.
He said he was told a bigger boat approached the boat his family was in from the other side, hit it and caused it to overturn, spilling the passengers into the water.
The driver, who they are related to as he is married to Keith's cousin, has the requisite experience and a licence, Montini said.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority has launched an investigation. Police have opened an inquest docket for investigation.
TimesLIVE
Vaal boat accident was reckless negligence, two witnesses allege
Image: Supplied
Two eyewitnesses to a boat accident that led to a family of four drowning in the Vaal River at the weekend say a lack of adherence to basic safety rules was to blame for the tragedy.
Among the deceased was a pregnant woman and a three-year-old toddler — both of whom were trapped under the vessel after it capsized. They died with their life jackets on. Another victim was identified as Keith Bekezela Matshona Dube. His body and that of a relative were found a short distance from the boat. They were also wearing their life jackets when they drowned.
A man who was among the first people at the scene and helped in rescue attempts has disputed the version that the incident was caused by the wake of another boat. He asked not to be identified.
“The cause of this accident was reckless endangerment by the boat driver and owner. No other boat was involved,” he said.
The boat was carrying double the permitted number of passengers and the skipper was untrained, he alleged.
The boat, which launched at the Sam Gross municipal jetty on the Vaal River, had 10 people on board including the skipper. It was meant to carry only five people.
“The boat was so overloaded it was barely floating when the people got on it. The way it was overloaded, it was inevitable if one person moved to one side of the boat and shifted the weighting, it would have taken on water. So that is the main cause.
“Other boats go up and down the river and they make waves, but there is no other boat that caused the accident; this was due to gross negligence.”
The boat's driver did not have a skipper's licence, he said.
“While I was on the scene he was asked if he had a skipper's licence and the guy said no.
“The problem is these accidents happen because people are reckless. They are not concerned about their own safety and they are reckless.
“
The man said he was traumatised and hurt by what he had witnessed.
Another witness who watched the boat a few minutes before the accident said she saw the boat pass while she was standing on the side of the docks at a hotel.
“I didn't count, but there were a lot of people on the boat. The boat was low in the water, you could barely see the colour of the boat.”
The woman, who spends most of her weekends near the water, said such accidents were rare and down to recklessness because of overloading.
“It's sad that it is something we saw, noticed and said 'look how deep that boat is, how full it is', and then that incident happened,” she said.
This is disputed by the victims' family.
Keith’s father Montini Matshona Dube told TimesLIVE Premium his son and a group of family members were celebrating a birthday.
About 20 relatives took turns to do a cruise on a 12-seater boat.
He said he was told a bigger boat approached the boat his family was in from the other side, hit it and caused it to overturn, spilling the passengers into the water.
The driver, who they are related to as he is married to Keith's cousin, has the requisite experience and a licence, Montini said.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority has launched an investigation. Police have opened an inquest docket for investigation.
TimesLIVE
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