The pathology vehicle carrying the body of Zenande Chiloane.
The search for 22-year-old Zenande Chiloane has come to a tragic end after police and rescue teams recovered his body from the Crocodile River on Tuesday, June 16.
Chiloane was the third occupant of a vehicle that plunged into the river on June 7.
His body was discovered approximately three kilometres downstream from the accident scene, on an island in the river where it had become trapped on a tree branch.
According to Captain Pottie Potgieter of the Ehlanzeni Diving Unit, search teams had previously combed the same island without success.
“We found him caught on a tree branch. We had searched the same island a few days earlier but did not see him. Days later, his T-shirt floated to the surface, allowing us to locate him,” said Potgieter.
The recovery operation required volunteers and rescue personnel to navigate dense vegetation and clear pathways using pangas before reaching the area where the body was found.
Chiloane’s body was positively identified by his next of kin, bringing long-awaited closure to his family after nine days of uncertainty and anguish. The family has requested privacy as they mourn their loss.
Chiloane was travelling with Vigo Godfrey and Tintswalo Khoza on the night of June 7 after leaving a local restaurant when their vehicle reportedly lost control and crashed into the Crocodile River. The bodies of Godfrey and Khoza were recovered on the day of the accident, while the search for Chiloane continued for more than a week.
Members of the SAPS Search and Rescue Unit, together with the Ehlanzeni Diving Unit and community volunteers, worked tirelessly throughout the operation, searching the crocodile-infested river under challenging conditions.
Police have opened a case of culpable homicide, and investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash are continuing.
The recovery of Chiloane’s body marks the conclusion of an extensive search effort and a tragic chapter for the families and community affected by the accident.
