A Ladysmith dentist who drowned in a dam at the Drakensberg Sun Hotel resort on Sunday was “adventurous” and loved the outdoors, his family said.
Dr Muhammad Qadir Khan, 31, of Rose Park, had been canoeing with his cousin, Ahmed Yusuf Balim, 19, when the canoe capsized.
Khan drowned and Balim, who was wearing a life jacket, alerted other guests for help.
Local police and members of the Pietermaritzburg Search and Rescue Unit searched for Khan’s body. It was retrieved by divers from the 7m-deep dam on Monday evening. Khan was buried later that night.
“This incident was a double blow to the family. As much as we accept Muhammad is no more, the wait to find his body was agonising,” said a family member, who asked not to be named.
“The family were present when divers brought his body to the scene and that was most painful. They just broke down,” he said.
“We are thankful Ahmed survived the accident. He has not told us exactly what happened. He just said it was a freak accident. One minute they were on the canoe and the next in the water. We are giving him time to recover before we question him further.”
Khan’s parents, Subbeer Ahmed, a retired IT specialist and Yasmin Khan, a high school teacher, were distraught.
“Muhammad lived with his parents; he took care of them. To lose a child is not an easy thing and they are in shock,” the relative said. “Our family has rallied around them for support.”
He described Khan as respectful, jovial and adventurous.
“Muhammad was a gem. He was loved by everyone around him – from our family to friends and his patients. His weakness was his love for the outdoors. He spent most weekends hiking, canoeing and fishing.
“He was always a top achiever; he excelled academically in school and at university. Religious studies was also very important to him and he was given the title of Hafez, which is someone who memorised and recited the Qu’ran.”
Drakensberg Sun general manager Roger Petyt said Khan was a day visitor at the hotel.
“Our deepest condolences to the family. We are sorry for the family’s loss and have referred the matter to the police,” he said.
Police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker confirmed the body was found on Monday evening.
The president of Canoe South Africa, Christo Horn, described the incident as “unfortunate”.
“There need to be more laws and regulations in place for recreational canoeing in order to avoid incidents like this one,” he said.
“Canoers need to take safety precautions and the first is to wear a life jacket. No matter how good… a swimmer you are. this is vital. When you are out on the water a slight gust of wind can be hazardous.”