“Praying”: Rescue Efforts To Recover Missing 21-Year-Old From a Crocodile-Infested River Continues

• Police, including the Ehlanzeni Diving Unit, K9 Unit and drones, are searching the Crocodile River in Mpumalanga for 21-year-old Zenande Chiloane
• The vehicle Zenande was travelling in crashed through a fence and plunged into the river in the early hours of Sunday morning
• Strong currents, icy water, crocodiles and hippos are making the search extremely difficult

A family is waiting for answers on the banks of the Crocodile River in Mpumalanga after 21-year-old Zenande Chiloane went missing when the car he was travelling in plunged into the river. Mpumalanga Mirror shared photos on their Facebook page on 10 June 2026 showing police and divers on the scene, saying:

"Police, including the Diving Unit, are currently at the Crocodile River to locate the body of 21-year-old Zenande Chiloane..."

Zenande was travelling with two friends when their vehicle crashed through a fence and went into the river on 7 June. The bodies of the other two occupants, Vigo Godfrey and Tintswalo Khoza, were recovered on the same day. Zenande has not been found, but his cellphone was recovered inside the wreckage.

Read also

"Placed deliberately": Limpopo family demands investigation after finding python on a family grave

Dangerous conditions slow the search

The Ehlanzeni Diving Unit, K9 Unit and drones have all been deployed to search the river and its banks.

Captain Pottie Potgieter of the diving unit said the team covered an area the size of a rugby field but found nothing.

Strong currents and icy water have made diving difficult. The river is also home to crocodiles and hippos, adding danger to every search operation. The team planned to continue downstream on 10 June, starting from the point where the river splits into two.

Family holds on to hope

Relatives and members of the Fountain of Life Church Movement gathered along the riverbank, praying and singing.

Family spokesperson Thapelo Mogane said they remain hopeful and believe Zenande will be found. A case of culpable homicide has been opened, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

View the Facebook post below:

SA prays for good news from the search

Read also

"No one learned anything": Drag race goes wrong as car ploughs into spectators in Phalaborwa

People shared their thoughts and prayers on the Facebook page:

@MbamboSMbambo said:

"Maybe the car threw him out before it entered the river."

@SphiweKamelihleMakama wrote:

"Maybe they should try K9 dogs to sniff around the bushes. Maybe his body didn't reach the river, and it's stuck somewhere in the bushes."

@TracyChikane said:

"Maybe the body is stuck on the reeds just under water."

@MotsoariModizen wrote:

"Iyho! Look at this river, they don't call it Crocodile River for nothing."

@TebohoKele said:

"Hopefully the body is not inside the belly of the predator."

@DorcusLushaba wrote:

"Praying for a miracle."

@MasiloRasekgokga said:

"Let's keep hoping that they will succeed in finding the body. But from Sunday, eish. Lord help the team in their work."

More South African floods and river tragedies

• Briefly News recently reported on a woman and two children who found themselves trapped in a fast-rising Klein Karoo river.
• One person was swept to their death, and over 2,500 people were left without homes after floods hit the Western and Eastern Cape.
• Five Zimbabwean nationals were travelling across a low-water bridge in the Eastern Cape when floodwaters swept their vehicle away.

Source: Briefly News