Five beachgoers were washed out to sea on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
The incident occurred on Pennington main beach on the evening of Thursday, 1 January 2026.
Rescue
IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick said one victim was rescued and is currently in a stable condition.
“One was confirmed dead, his body recovered earlier. A second body washed ashore about 100m from where the bathers entered the water.”
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Search
Meyrick said one person was saved by lifeguards, but the other two are still missing and are presumed dead.
“Lifeguards conducted search operations in the water, while IPSS Medical Rescue and other emergency services remained on standby to provide medical support.”
Meyrick said the search for the missing beachgoers would continue on Friday at first light.
Five beachgoers were washed out to sea on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. The incident occurred on Pennington main beach on the evening of Thursday, 1 January 2026 @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/fTgG7uytBz
— Faizel Patel (@FaizelPatel121) January 2, 2026
Soldier drowning
Meanwhile, police in the Capricorn District are investigating an inquest case after the discovery of the body of a 36-year-old female member attached to the South African National Defence Force(SANDF) in a river stream in the City of Polokwane.
The grim discovery was made on New Year’s Day, 1 January 2026, at about 11am.
Investigations
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said they are investigating the incident.
“The report received by the police is that this morning at around 04:00, the deceased, together with two other occupants of the car (Renault Triber), were swept by heavy flowing water after the car got stuck under the bridge along Grobler Street.
“It is further reported that the other two occupants, including the driver, managed to grab reeds and exit the river, but the deceased unfortunately did not survive the catastrophic incident. The search was conducted by the divers, and the body was found about 2,5 kilometers from the initial scene and retrieved from the river,” Ledwaba said.
Ledwaba said the circumstances surrounding the incident is still under investigation.
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