The Safer Festive Season campaign saw the SAPS Gauteng Water Policing and Diving Services intensify operations, recovering 28 bodies from various locations across the province between December 2024 and January 19.
According to the Gauteng SAPS Rapid Response Services media liaison officer, Warrant Officer Grant Giblin, every December SAPS teams are deployed daily to the Bronkhorstpruit and Roodeplaat dams and Vaal Dam and River.
“Officers’ duties comprise vehicle patrols, vessel patrols on the waters, vessel inspections and checks, resort visits and removing illegal items like fishing nets,” he said.
“These duties continue throughout the festive season and well into the New Year to prevent lawlessness.”
Increased rescue and recovery operations
This season’s operations were dominated by rescue and recovery efforts driven by heavy rains and flooding.
SAPS members did 10 diving recovery operations and 17 rescue and recovery missions, rescuing six victims and recovering the bodies of 17 others.
These incidents occurred in various locations, including:
• The Vaal Dam and River;
• The Klip River;
• The Spaarwater Dam;
• Sebokeng;
• Orange Farm;
• Thembisa;
• Atteridgeville;
• The Hennops River (Centurion);
• The Rietspruit;
• Rooikraal;
• The Klein Jukskei (Douglasdale);
• Carletonville.
Giblin said the teams did over 17 vessel patrols, 193 resort visits, 196 vessel checks, issued 67 warnings, and removed 26 illegal markers during December.
“Hundreds of meters of illegal fishing nets were also confiscated,” he stated.
January operations and ongoing investigations
Operations continued this month, with 11 more bodies recovered and investigations underway at two active scenes involving submerged vehicles in Tshwane and Johannesburg.
Collaboration for effective searches
The SAPS Water Police collaborated with the SAPS K9 Search and Rescue, the SAPS Air Wing, the Drone Unit, and other emergency services. These partnerships were crucial in incidents such as:
• the recovery of a missing child’s body in the Klein Jukskei (Douglasdale) in December;
• retrieving a man’s body from the same area in January.
• searching in Tedstoneville, Elsburg, for a victim swept away by river currents.
