Norman Rautenbach, NSRI Richards Bay deputy station commander, said: At around 17h00, Saturday, 16 March, NSRI Richards Bay were alerted to concerns of a charter vessel ski boat “MAGNUM TOO” a 21 foot Yeld Cat ski-boat, missing at sea in uncertain circumstances that appear to indicate that foul play may be involved.
NSRI are hopeful that this is not the case.
The ski-boat MAGNUM TOO may have departed Sodwana Bay during the early morning Saturday, 16 March.
NSRI Richards Bay duty crew and NSRI St Lucia duty crew were activated.
A search towards Sodwana Bay and North along the coastline were initiated including a private fixed wing aircraft and as yet there remains no signs of the ski-boat MAGNUM TOO with local competent skipper John Matambu onboard and a male passenger or passengers (uncertain) that we are hoping are well and safe.
A missing persons report has been opened at MBAZWANA Police station.
The SA Police Services Police Sea Borderline Control, Police Search and Rescue, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority), Ezemvelo KZN Wild Life, local community security companies, local public members, local resorts and lodges, along that entire stretch of coastline in that area, of Sodwana Bay and North of Sodwana Bay, are assisting to gather information, conduct investigations and conduct search efforts.
MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) are assisting.
It appears that persons, or a person, a male, that have not been identified, may have chartered the ski-boat that was expected to return to Sodwana Bay during Saturday afternoon.
Real concerns are emerging that appear to suggest possible foul play and concerns are for the skipper John Matambu’s safety and his passenger/s.
We reiterate we are hopeful that this is not the case.
Fears are – that the ski-boat MAGNUM, that may have been seen to be heading North, past Banga Neck, and may have been pinned in the vicinity of Inhaca (unconfirmed) – may be involved in nefarious circumstances that are rapidly increasing concerns.
At 22h00 a report was received suggesting the ski-boat may have been spotted as far North as Santa Maria across to the Mozambique coastline.
Telkom Maritime Radio Services are broadcasting a marine radio all ships alert for vessels along the Northern Coastline of KZN (Eat Coast – Indian Ocean), and beyond the South African Eastern coastline border, to be on the look out and to report any sightings of ski-boat MAGNUM TOO.
Concerns are rapidly increasing. It is not normal for this well known and respected local skipper to fail to report in and/or to return to Sodwana.
During the night local community and coast watchers are commended for keeping an eye out for any red distress flares or any sighting of the missing ski-boat.
It appears that the individual/s who chartered the boat may have provided false information as to their identity(this is not confirmed and may be a misunderstanding) – after arriving in the Sodwana Bay area, reportedly, on a motor bike. Efforts to locate the charter passenger/s, the skipper John Matambu and ski-boat MAGNUM TOO remain unsolved.
We are appealing to anyone with information that can assist Police in this search to contact Police on 10111 and or NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) 0870949774 or MRCC 0219383300.
Thoughts with the family of the skipper in this difficult time.
Pictures of the boat, MAGNUM TOO, the skipper John Matambu are posted to NSRI web page and NSRI social media. We are encouraging this to be shared far and wide and we commend the media’s urgent attention to this case.
We are hopeful that the boat, crew and passengers are found safe.
Update: Boat found beached and burnt out just North of Dobela. See: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sodwana/permalink/7649373311748833/
NSRI Update:
During an extensive search involving multiple agencies and a fixed wing aircraft the charter fishing ski-boat MAGNUM TOO was located wrecked and extensively burnt out in the vicinity of Dobela on the Mozambique coastline on Sunday morning.
Law Enforcement agencies response team are on site investigating.
There remains no signs of the skipper John Matambu or an as yet unidentified man who reportedly chartered the fishing vessel.
Both men remain missing in unknown circumstances.
Thoughts are with the family and colleagues of John Matambu in this difficult time.
It remains unknown what has happened that led to the vessel beaching and found to be completely burnt out.
Police and Law Enforcement, Security agencies and maritime authorities are continuing in an extensive search and investigations to try to locate the 2 missing men and to piece together what has transpired.
We are appealing to anyone with information that can assist Police in this search to contact Police on 10111 and or NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) 0870949774.
JesterZilla
Jol – party / to have fun [jo-rl] Similar to ‘kiff’ or ‘kief’, jol can be used in any context to express having a good time.Example: “I’m going to a jol tonight!” / “I’m having a jol!” / “It was such a jol!”
Saber-RED
The Man who could only Drink Milk
I know an old man who had lived a life full of adventure, but his health started to catch up with him. He\’d run the Boston Marathon, was an avid surfer, and climbed Everest, but he\’d started to have abdominal pains around his 85th birthday and went to see a doctor. Sadly, he ultimately was diagnosed with a rare degenerative liver disease that slowly made him allergic to everything he ate.
He kept copious notes, and as an avid gastronomist slowly grew to despair as everything he\’d spent his life enjoying became something he could no longer eat. Alcohol went first, then mushrooms, then bread, then root vegetables, then coffee, one at a time he had to remove them from his diet. The doctor was clear: if he kept eating something his liver rejected the autoimmune response would be quick and severe, and would lead to a painful death. Little by little, everything was taken away as an option, until the only thing that remained was milk.
In some ways, this actually made life easier, because the mental strain of remembering what he could and couldn\’t eat was gone, but then so was the joy in variety. But he took it in stride, and got his own cow and took classes from a farmer to learn everything he could about the only thing that could give him sustenance. And even within milk, he could still have yogurt, butter, cream, some cheeses, and other milk-derived products he hadn\’t fully rejected yet, so it wasn\’t all bad. But then one day a few months later he felt the pain again, and he knew cow\’s milk was no longer an option.
Lacking other options, he tried goat\’s milk, and he was delighted that it worked! The protein structure is just different enough that his body still tolerated it. That bought him another month. And that\’s when we came up with a wonderful plan to go on one last grand adventure around the world. If he could get one month of life out of the milk of every mammal, he\’d actually have a few more years to enjoy life to the fullest and see the world in all its beauty. Each month, we\’d pick a place with a new mammal, and he would immerse himself fully with the locals, learn all the ways to prepare the milk, and just enjoy the hand he had been dealt as much as he could.
We milked sheep in New Zealand. Camels in Egypt. Zebras in South Africa. Giant bats in Indonesia. Do you know how many Peruvian cuy you need to milk to get a single glass? I do. Even as his health slowly faded, he stayed cheerful, and I felt lucky to join him on the adventure of a lifetime. That brings us to today when he got to the very end of his spreadsheet, and declared that he was now allergic to every mammal. He\’d enjoyed his journey, but his time had come to an end, for there was nothing left to milk.
To which I said nonsense, I bet we can milk a few thousand karma out of this post.