The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) continues its support to many flood-stricken
communities and on Wednesday, 15 February 2023 has offered disaster relief to rescue two
community members who were trapped for three days on an island in the Letaba River in Tzaneen,
Limpopo Province following heavy downpours that caused rivers to burst their banks in many parts
of the country.

In doing this task, the SANDF operates in concert with various government disaster management
agencies as part of Operation CHARIOT to reach out to many trapped villagers who were severely
affected by flooding conditions caused by torrential rains leading to localised flooding over most
parts of South Africa since Friday, 10 February 2023.

Amid warnings of disruptive rains over several parts of the country resulting to the declaration of a
state of disaster by the President of the Republic, the SANDF activated its inherent search and
rescue capabilities which received a request from Mpumalanga disaster management centre to
render much-needed relief to flood victims in Limpopo Province.

The rescue operation that saw two civilians rescued from the banks of the river was conducted
using a hoist technique by the Oryx helicopter from 17 Squadron supported by ER24 crew
members. The rescued flood victims were later taken to Tzaneen Clinic for treatment of
dehydration and related conditions, which after were released from the clinic.