/ 1 January 2002

Bodies of young sisters found in the Eastern Cape

The bodies of two young sisters have been recovered from the Crocodile River near Rhodes after their family's 4x4 vehicle was swept off a bridge on Sunday morning.

The bodies of two young sisters have been recovered from the Crocodile River near Rhodes after their family’s 4×4 vehicle was swept off a bridge on Sunday morning.

Inspector Steve Leslie said on Monday a search-and-rescue team found the bodies of Mia (5) and Anè Joubert (7) on Sunday night and Monday morning.

The search was carried out by a team of dog handlers, two police divers and two divers from East London’s fire and rescue services.

The Joubert family was returning from a skiing holiday at the Tiffindell ski resort when they tried to cross a flooded, low-level bridge in their Isuzu 4×4.

Resort staffers Mark Shaw and Johan Smith, who said the group had been warned not to cross the bridge, rescued three members of the family and a young boy, who has not been named but was a family friend.

Viljee Joubert, his wife Teresa, their other daughter Stephanie and the boy were said to be in a state of shock on Monday.

In another incident, the search for two men, who swept away by the Tina River near Umtata over the weekend, continued without success on Monday.

Police divers and search-and-rescue dogs from Port Shepstone were called in to assist the search for Simbongile Somtsewu (20) and Khulile Jara (21). – Sapa