In a stroke of incredible fortune, eight people narrowly escaped with their lives after the bakkie they were travelling in was swept off the flooded Komatipoort low-lying bridge in Mpumalanga on Saturday. The incident, occurring at the very same spot where two SANDF soldiers tragically lost their lives on Christmas Day, serves as a chillingly close call and a renewed warning about the deadly force of the Nkomazi River.
According to reports, the driver attempted to cross the submerged bridge, a perilous decision that proved nearly fatal. The powerful floodwaters overwhelmed the vehicle, pulling it into the raging river. When the SAPS Diving Unit and Mpumalanga Search and Rescue teams arrived, they found the bakkie partially submerged and trappedbut empty.
A Miraculous Self-Rescue
Miraculously, all eight occupants had managed to scramble out of the vehicle and reach the riverbank safely before the current could drag them downstream. While they escaped unharmed, their vehicle remains lodged in the river, a visible testament to the bridge’s lethal danger during the rainy season.
The police have issued a stern reminder, urging the public to respect road closures and avoid low-lying bridges entirely during heavy rains. This warning carries extra weight at the Komatipoort crossing, as the Nkomazi is not only a fierce torrent when flooded but is also home to dangerous wildlife, including crocodiles and hippos.
A Repeat of Tragedy Narrowly Avoided
This near-disaster comes just weeks after a prolonged search for two SANDF soldiers whose military vehicle was swept away at the identical location. That search ended in heartbreak, underscoring that no vehiclenot a bakkie, and not a military truckis a match for the river’s force when in spate.
The message from authorities is unambiguous: attempting to cross is a gamble with death that also jeopardises the lives of rescue teams forced to respond. The eight survivors from Saturday are the luckiest of warnings. Their empty, stranded bakkie is now a stark monument on the riverbank, pleading with the next driver to turn around. In Mpumalanga’s rainy season, the bravest thing you can do is not to test the water, but to heed the barrier tape and find another way home.
