Members of the emergency services who helped retrieve the bodies of the three missing constables, Cebekhulu Linda, Keamogetswe Buys and Boipelo Senoge, were relieved to help the families get closure.
Authorities had been searching for the constables after they went missing while on duty. The joint operation saw emergency responders navigate the treacherous conditions of the river to locate the submerged vehicle after the discovery of the bodies.
While the operation posed significant challenges, officials expressed a sense of fulfilment in bringing the desperate families answers.
Leading firefighter from Tshwane Emergency Services Marcel van Staden said the recovery was the most complex and difficult task.
“Because it was part of our emergency services first responder family, we wanted to make sure that we give them the dignity and respect they deserve by finding the vehicle and bringing it out . The vehicle has been found, now they can have a proper investigation of what happened,” he said.
Van Staden, who has been in the service since 2013, and his colleagues were deployed for the search of the vehicle in the Hennops River.
We couldn't identify if this was the vehicle we were looking for. Once we realised it was the same type of vehicle, the same colour, we knew the chances were good that this was the one.
— Marcel van Staden, leading firefighter from Tshwane Emergency Services
Upon arrival, they worked on clearing the debris in the river.
“After removing the debris we realised that the river is still flowing strongly and we need to be careful about how we take on the operation. We moved out in four teams and started searching different sections of the river and that's when we found the car.”
“The current was very strong and the difficulty we had once we found the vehicle was tying it to the banks. The recovery was extremely difficult because it was far in, about 100 metres from the bridge. I think we had to use about 300kg of steel chains and cables just to get the car close enough to attach it to the winch itself,” he said.
“During the incident, emotion doesn't really factor into it, you go into an autopilot [phase] where your training takes over to the point where you know the job is finished, that's when the pain, the thirst and the emotions come in.”
Van Staden explained the relief after verifying they had found the vehicle.
“We couldn't identify if this was the vehicle we were looking for. Once we realised it was the same type of vehicle, the same colour we knew the chances were good that this was the one.”
Helping people drives Van Staden. “It's a very exciting job, I get to do things that very few people do in their lifetime, and I appreciate that while doing that, I get to help people,” he said.
He uses gallows humour to decompress.
“Other than that it's chatting with colleagues, having a debrief and talking about the scene trying to figure out if there is anything we could do better next time or if we did everything we could, and getting home and just playing with my dogs,” he said.
Leading firefighter Xolani Nkosi recounted his experience during the initial phase of the operation, explaining he was first deployed when the body of a woman was discovered under the bridge.
“When we got there, we were deployed to the scene, and our first day was when the body of a lady was identified under the bridge. We needed to take the body out of the water, which was not easy. The body was trapped under the bridge and the current was big [and fast].”
The team retrieved the body with a rope and a basket stretcher. Nkosi said that, as part of their job, they sometimes have to go on a lifeline to carry out their duties.
Nkosi explained that in his line of work, they put their lives at risk to help people.
But making a difference in the community was priceless.
One of the greatest challenges is “dealing with something natural that you cannot control”.
Company commander Paul Callumbine said “it was a good feeling” and rewarding when they found the vehicle and could bring closure to the families.
He said the complicated thing about the operation was the search and “the terrain you have to go to, it's the unknown — yes, we have been in the Hennops many times before, but remember the terrain is forever changing, so your water levels are up and down.”
Callumbine acknowledged that while the thought of searching for their colleagues lingered in the back of their minds, they consciously pushed it aside to remain focused on the operation.
“It's a brotherhood — we have worked with the SAPS personnel and other role players — together it's a support system,” he said.
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