Selfless heroes step up during flash floods
Praise pours in after social-media images of brave helpers in action
AS flash floods raged through a highway in Linksfield‚ Johannesburg‚ on Wednesday afternoon‚ several heroes rose to the occasion.
A picture of brave truck driver Vuyani Dindiswayo and his colleague, Lucas Bota, pulling stranded motorists and taxi passengers to safety is garnering many accolades on social media.
They are credited with helping at least 20 stranded motorists.
Heavy rainfall of 89.6mm resulted in the flash floods and led to the death of six people. Two people – a pregnant woman and a three-year-old child – were still missing.
Shadrick Chauke, of Alexandra township, tried to escape the raging waters of a swollen Jukskei River by climbing a tree with his three-year-old daughter, but the branch he was holding onto snapped and his daughter was swept away by the torrent.
Cape Town-based trucker Dindiswayo said he still did not know where he had found the courage to do what he did.
“I just looked at these people suffering and I said to myself: ‘If I am to die trying to help these people‚ then so be it.’
“But I knew God was with me‚ so nothing would happen to me‚” he said.
The 31-year-old driver for DPMM Logistics arrived in Johannesburg on Monday from Cape Town to collect containers from City Deep‚ which he was meant to drop off in Durban on Wednesday.
Dindiswayo and his colleague were stuck in the traffic for more than four hours during the flood.
“I was sitting in that truck and I saw two gentleman clinging onto a tree with their bags and then I said to Lucas, who was in his truck behind me: ‘Come‚ let’s go and rescue those guys there.’
“He took out ropes from his truck and I did the same.
“We jumped straight into the water – which was close to my stomach level – and then we took the two ropes and put them together and tied each other to the trucks so we didn’t get swept away.”
He said he and his colleague tried to save as many people as they could.
“We went to the two men and carried them from the tree to a safe area but ... the rain was strong and there were many cars being swept away,” he said.
“So we just started going to rescue people one by one.”
At least 150 cars were recovered by rescue operations.
Dindiswayo said he was heartbroken because they had failed to save a woman who was trapped in her car.
“We got her out and took her to the truck after one woman helped her with CPR,” he said. “But . . . she died.”
Bianca Lee Bird is one of the motorists who tried to help the woman.
Bird‚ from Germiston‚ also attributed her bravery to a higher power.
“I thank God for giving me the strength not to run away but help the people and save as many as we could save and get the people who were shocked to help other people.”
Both Bird and Dindiswayo said they had never seen anything like the flood.
“I have been a long-distance truck driver for three years and I come across grisly accidents all the time‚ but I have never seen anything like this,” Dindiswayo said. “I am still shaken.” Bird said she was very traumatised. Hundreds of messages of appreciation are being shared on social media.
Boni Delport wrote: “Thank you Lucas and Vuyani – you are awesome heroes.”
Carola Kalix McDonald posted: “Amazing‚ happy to have heroes like that in our society.”
Patrick Tracker Mabaso shared: “I’m telling u if we ignore politics and focus on real things that affect us‚ we will go far ... unite as one‚ SOUTH AFRICA is ours. Lov u all.”
Pictures and a video of a group of men who made a human chain to help passengers off two taxis are also being shared on social media‚ with messages of appreciation.
Makgala Molete commented on Facebook: “I think God is trying to show us that we need one another. I saw a video where blacks and whites were saving each other‚ holding hands. UNITY!”
The floods also claimed two victims on the N3 highway near Linksfield‚ Johannesburg Emergency Management Services said.
The City of Ekurhuleni reported two other victims – a man who drowned in Ravensklip‚ Boksburg, and a person struck by lightning in Tembisa.