Durban - A herdsman is presumed to have drowned after he went missing while attempting to cross a river in the Zwelisha area outside Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday.
This comes as weather warnings were issued for the province by the South African Weather Service (Saws) and the KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
The department said the Ugu District Municipality, encompassing Ray Nkonyeni, uMuziwabantu, Umdoni, and Umzumbe local municipalities, had been placed on orange level 6 alert, the second highest warning level, with a possibility of flooding.
EThekwini Municipality also issued a weather alert for the region while residents reported that a suspected tornado ripped through areas north of Durban, causing damage.
In a statement on Tuesday, just hours after the weather alerts were issued, Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram reported that a man was presumed to have drowned while attempting to traverse a river in Zwelisha after it swelled rapidly during Tuesday afternoon’s heavy downpour.
Balram said Rusa members together with police officers from the Verulam SAPS were at the scene and interviewed several witnesses at approximately 4.14pm.
“The male was herding cows in Palmview, KZN. He allegedly decided to return to his residence in Zwelisha after sudden heavy rains swept through the area. While traversing the river, the male and one cow experienced difficulty and were swept away,” he said
According to Balram, the cow managed to exit the river further downstream.
He said witnesses reported that the man disappeared under water.
“Reaction officers have scoured the river banks from Zwelisha to Ottawa in an attempt to locate the victim, but the search was unsuccessful. Flash flooding, poor lighting and continuous heavy downpours have hampered any attempt at a rescue,” said Balram.