Nine‑day search ends with recovery of 21‑year‑old in Crocodile River

Mpumalanga – Police have recovered the body of a third victim believed to have been travelling in a vehicle that allegedly plunged into the Crocodile River earlier this month.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said the body was discovered on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, approximately three kilometres from the location where the vehicle and two other victims were recovered following the incident on 7 June.

According to police, members of the SAPS Search and Rescue Unit have been conducting an intensive search operation since the incident was reported.

#sapsMP [POLICE RECOVERED THE THIRD BODY AFTER A VEHICLE ALLEGEDLY DROVE INSIDE CROCODILE RIVER NINE DAYS AGO]

The police have found the third body of the person who was reportedly in the car that was found inside the Crocodile River on the 7th of June 2026. The third victim… https://t.co/eG8iXkvjzW pic.twitter.com/eUuRJlBPYm

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) June 16, 2026

The third victim was positively identified by family members as Zenande Chiloane.

Police had previously recovered the submerged vehicle and the bodies of two other occupants from the river. The discovery of Chiloane’s body brings the number of confirmed fatalities linked to the incident to three.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the circumstances that led to the vehicle entering the river.

Investigations into the incident are continuing.