Actor falls to death in Berg during fight scene

AN ACTOR rehearsing a fight scene for a movie in the Drakensberg fell 40m into a river, was washed over a waterfall and died at the scene.

The 39-year-old from Centurion, Pretoria, fell from Sterkspruit Waterfall, near Monks Cowl, in the southern Drakensberg on Thursday.

Police said the victim could not be named as the family had not yet identified his body.

An anonymous tour guide said cast members had arrived on Thursday and paid the normal visitors’ R40 entrance fee.

“They didn’t request assistance and no one knew they would walk as far as to that part of the cliff. The actors rehearsed at a very dangerous side of the reserve.

“It was impossible for that guy to survive; the cliff is slippery and there’s a huge waterfall. The crew told us after the incident and we searched for the body till late,” he said.

Yesterday morning, the body was recovered in a pool below the waterfall.

“It was so sad to see his colleagues cry and they stayed with us until late as they also assisted in the search.

“Cameras were left lying around as actors cried. You could see they would do anything to find their colleague; it was traumatic,” he said.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane confirmed the incident.

“They were rehearsing a fighting scene at about 5.30pm. He fell off a cliff and was washed over a waterfall. Police recovered his body this morning,” said Zwane.

KZN Film Commission chief executive, Carol Coetzee, said she was not aware of the incident but had asked her team to gather information.