Inanda Dam drowning: Body recovered after fishing trip tragedy

The body of a 38-year-old man who drowned at Inanda Dam in KwaZulu-Natal has been recovered by members of private security company, Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).

According to a statement from RUSA, the deceased has been identified as Mthokozisi Qwabe.

He reportedly went fishing with a friend at the dam on Tuesday when, due to extreme heat, the two decided to swim. Qwabe, who was allegedly unable to swim, experienced difficulty in the water and disappeared beneath the surface. His friend attempted to rescue him but was unsuccessful.

On Thursday, the South African Police Service (SAPS) K9 Search and Rescue Unit conducted a search operation at the dam; however, Qwabe could not be located.

RUSA reaction officers and paramedics returned to the scene on Friday morning following a report from a member of the public who claimed to have possibly spotted something in the water, though they were unable to confirm what they had seen.

“Upon arrival, a Reaction Officer deployed a drone to conduct a low-level aerial search after the caller lost sight of what they were observing. Minutes into the flight, the drone Pilot confirmed that the sighting was that of a male body floating in the water towards the riverbank on the opposite side of the dam. The body was mostly submerged,” RUSA said in a statement.

Reaction officers then entered the water and successfully retrieved the body, which was positively identified as that of Qwabe, RUSA said.

The incident comes after a seven-year-old child drowned in Lidgetton dam in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands earlier this week.

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