It was on 17 January this year, amid heavy flooding, that the Vhembe community woke to the sad news that a Somali businessman and his assistant had been swept away by the raging Dzindi River at Tswinga Bridge.
The businessman, 36-year-old Ali Nur, and his assistant, who has not yet been identified, had attempted to cross the flooded river in a bakkie fully loaded with stock for Nur’s shop when it was swept away. Almost three weeks after the incident, only the mangled wreck of Nur’s bakkie has been recovered, while he and his assistant remain unaccounted for.
Despite intensive search-and-rescue efforts by teams from Limpopo, Gauteng and other parts of the country, including private teams, the search had yielded no positive results at the time of going to press this week. Two helicopters were also deployed, but to no avail.
In the meantime, the family is struggling with immense pain and grief. Mohamed Ali, the missing businessman’s brother, who travelled from the Netherlands, said the incident has placed a heavy strain on the family.
“As a family, we are deeply saddened and in pain. After the bakkie was recovered, we had hopes that our brother would also be found, but that was not to be. We saw various search and rescue teams doing a wonderful job here, but as fate would have it, nothing came of the searches,” said Mohamed.
Mohamed added that it is clear from the efforts of all involved that the family is not alone in this time of sorrow. “We are extremely grateful for the support we have received from the South African and Somali governments since the incident occurred,” he said.
Although some teams have halted their search efforts, Mohamed said the family remains hopeful that the bodies of Nur and his assistant will be found, allowing them to provide a proper burial.
“The search and rescue teams took a break, and we are continuing the search on our own. Every morning we come to the river in the hope of finding him. It has been a trying and painful time for us. The family back home keeps asking, and it is so painful to tell them he has not been found,” said Mohamed.
Nur is married and has three children. His mother and sisters are constantly in tears. “We are waiting in anticipation for the rescue team, as they promised to resume the search on Thursday. We just need to find him and have closure about this incident,” Mohamed said.
Meanwhile, Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed that searches for all people swept away by the floods are ongoing.