Dorian Robertson, NSRI Richards Bay station commander, said; “At 17h30 on Friday 22 June, NSRI Richards Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following reports of 2 KZN Wildlife Rangers overdue and missing on Hlabane Lake, approximately 30 kilometers North of Richards Bay, on the RBM (Richards Bay Minerals) mine.
“Our NSRI Richards Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew responded to the scene in our NSRI rescue vehicle towing our sea rescue craft Rotary Anne to be launched on-scene.
“It appears that during Friday morning (22nd June) 4 KZN Wildlife Rangers, on a foot patrol operation, on the Lake bank North of Hlabane Lake, had come across a small dug-out canoe with fishing nets onboard but no people to be found in the remote and wild area.
“We believe that they made the decision to confiscate the canoe (which may be suspected to have been used for illegal fishing) and 2 of the rangers set off in an attempt to paddle the canoe across the Lake to the South side of the Lake where they would have been able to recover the canoe at the RBM Water Pump Station (a distance of approximately over 5 kilometers).
“The remaining 2 rangers then set off on foot to walk around the Lake with plans to meet up with their colleagues at the RBM Water Pump Station but on their arrival at the Water Pump Station, at midday, no sign of the 2 paddlers was found and they waited for the 2 paddlers to show up.
“At 15h30, with still no sign of the 2 paddlers, they raised the alarm at the KZN Wildlife offices, reporting that they suspected that their colleagues were overdue, and a team of rangers was dispatched to begin scouring the shore-line in an attempt to find their 2 colleagues but, on the 20 kilometer long lake, 5 kilometers wide, in crocodile and hippo infested waters, by 17h30, with still no sign of the 2 missing rangers, and confident that the 2 rangers were now confirmed to be missing, KZN Wildlife requested the assistance of NSRI Richards Bay and a full scale search and rescue operation sprung into action.
“On arrival on-scene, in fading light, on choppy water conditions, in a 12 to 15 knot North Westerly wind, NSRI Richards Bay volunteers launched our sea rescue craft Rotary Ann and began on a coordinated search pattern, from the South Lake Water Pump Station towards where the 2 men had reportedly launched the dug-out canoe (earlier in the day), while NSRI volunteers joined KZN Wildlife Rangers in a coordinated shore-line search effort around the Lake.
“By 21h00 the search operation, hampered by the choppy Lake conditions, a dark night with rain conditions and no moon, and the rescue boat and shore-line search parties ever mindful of the risk of happening upon crocodiles or hippo’s, was joined by RBM staff and management who set up lighting equipment to aid in the search and the Transnet National Ports Authorities ‘PortNet’ search and rescue helicopter, using their ‘night sun’ search light, joined the search efforts but by 22h30, despite an extensive search operation and with no sign of the two men NSRI suspended the search and plans were made for Police Search and Rescue to continue the search from first light.
“It is feared that if the dug-out canoe had capsized on the water, taking into account the conditions that the search parties faced, it may have been impossible to spot the upturned dug-out canoe on the water in those conditions, despite the extensive efforts by the rescuers to leave no stone unturned in the meticulous search operation. However, any suggestions on what might have happened, at this stage, would be pure speculation and extensive efforts to find the 2 missing rangers continues.
“This morning, Saturday, 23 June, a Police Search and Rescue team took over the control and continuation of the ongoing search operation.
“It is not known what has become of the two missing paddlers and a search, by Police Search and Rescue members and by KZN Wildlife Rangers, is continuing.”
