Two more chokka boat crew found
Official death toll now four after tragedy at St Francis
TWO more bodies found along the Port Elizabeth coast yesterday brought the total number of deaths to four after a chokka boat capsized at Cape St Francis earlier this week.
Five crew members are still missing.
The bodies of the two fishermen have been identified as Sihle Dlamini, 37, found off the coast of Kini Bay, and Mvelisi Elliot Ncanywa, 40, who was found on the shore at the Beachview camping grounds.
Police spokesman Sergeant Majola Nkohli said a police helicopter had been combing the area along the coast at about 3.30pm when Ncanywa’s body was spotted.
Despite the icy weather on shore, members of the police, Metro EMS and Coastal Water Rescue were on the scene when Ncanywa’s body was transferred to the mortuary van for transportation.
His body had been taken to the Mount Road police station for identification, Nkohli said.
The body of Dlamini, who was from Jeffreys Bay, was spotted early yesterday morning.
Police divers recovered the body from rough seas at about 8am, in cold, windy and rainy conditions, and brought it ashore at Seaview.
Nkohli said family members from Jeffreys Bay had been brought to Port Elizabeth to identify the body.
“Around 8am, a member of the public saw the body of a man, which was believed to have washed up at Kini Bay near Seaview,” Nkohli said.
“The body was later identified as that of Sihle Dlamini.”
Police divers entered the water among the rocks at Seaview to remove the body before covering it with white canvas.
At about 11.30am rough seas beyond the coastal rocks caused waves to push up toward the beach.
While officers were waiting for pathologists to remove the body, the water washed the canvas off the body and nearly swept it back into the ocean.
Police officers had to act quickly to remove Dlamini’s body from the water, moving it further up the beach and away from rising water.
The family were too upset to speak to the media.
Dlamini and Ncanywa were among 16 fishermen aboard the chokka boat, the Maredon, when it capsized and ran aground at Sunset Rock, Cape St Francis, on Sunday morning.
Seven men managed to make their way ashore, while the body of one of the crewmen was found with the wreck.
On Wednesday, the body of Mbongeni Gift Zulu, 43, was found near Blue Horizon Bay, about 50km from the Maredon’s wreck.
Dlamini’s body was found about 60km from the wreck.