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MAN JUMPS OFF BRIDGE TO HIS DEATH

02/02/2024 12:35:00 Stanley Khumalo

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MANZINI – After a night of drinking in Matsapha, a 32-year-old man jumped to his death at Lusushwana River.

The male, who is from Hilltop, a township about five kilometres from the Mbabane central business district (CBD), was said to have visited an acquaintance in Matsapha in the company of a friend. It was said the pals, who formed a quartet, spent the night at one of the pubs near Lusushwana. According to Sandile Vilakati, who was visiting Matsapha with the deceased, they had a great time on the night preceding the incident.

He said they were all in a jovial mood and they did not visualise their fun ending in tragedy, as it did. Vilakati said at around 7:30am yesterday, the deceased started telling them that they had to vacate the recreational facility, which they had lodged at overnight.

Requested

He said while they requested that they extend their stay there by a few more hours, the deceased insisted and they obliged. Along the way, Vilakati said they were walking in sets of two pairs, with the deceased and another walking ahead. He said while they were walking along the sidewalk of the bridge, the deceased was about five metres ahead of them and he looked back and rhetorically asked if they knew that he could jump over the bridge.

“We shouted that he should not do that and he mimicked jumping before laughing it off. He repeated the question and this time, he jumped over the steel embankment into the river,” he said.

Distance

It is worth noting that the distance from where the deceased jumped and the river is about five metres. The depth of the river yesterday was about three metres, based on the yardstick used by the divers when they retrieved the body.
Vilakati estimated that his friend jumped over the bridge at around 8:30am. He said as the deceased plunged into the river, he (deceased) started swimming for about 15 minutes. At some point, he said, the deceased swam to the river bank; however, instead of exiting the flooded river, he swam back towards the centre.

He said the deceased swam back into the river to retrieve his sneaker which was floating at the centre of the river. After retrieving his sneaker, the deceased was said to have swam towards the river bank; however, about two metres from a place of safety, he started to drown. Vilakati, who was visibly shaken by the incident, said that was the last they saw of him.

Meanwhile, the incident attracted many people, who were seen watching the flooded river from the crest of the bridge. Some vehicles were parked along the road reserve near the bridge. Suspicions from some of the eyewitnesses were that the deceased drowned due to exhaustion. The eyewitnesses claimed that the deceased had been playful while still swimming in the river.

In video footage which was captured by one of the witnesses, people were heard telling him that he would drown and die if he did not exit the river. Just after that call instructing him to exit the river, the deceased drowned. It was said while this was happening; some witnesses contacted the Eswatini National Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services (ENFRES) and the police.

Statements

The ENFRES personnel and the police were found at the scene, with the latter recording statements, while the former tried to locate the body of the deceased. For about two hours, the ENFRES personnel tried to locate the body up until divers from the Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) arrived at the scene, just before noon.

The divers spent about five minutes inside the river, before retrieving the body. The deceased’s body was retrieved with his clothes and bag intact save for the shoes. The lead diver, Bongani Dlamini, said the 32-year-old was the ninth person to drown since the rainy season started last year August. Dlamini appealed to the public to always be cautious when near rivers and more so, when they were flooded.

Confirmed

On the other hand, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that the 32-year-old died after drowning at Lusushwana River. Recently, the police in their second quarter report for this financial year reported that between July 1 and September 30, 2022, nine people drowned in different incidents around the country.
The police reported that notable causes of drowning included risking crossing and swimming in flooded rivers and canals, unguarded children going on swimming excursions and negligent nannies and parents who expose children to water filled containers.