SANDF (South African National Defence Force) spokesman, Brig-Gen Xolani Mabanga confirmed on Thursday morning that a military plane, which had been en route from the Waterkloof air-force base in Gauteng to Mthatha, has crashed in the Eastern Cape and its wreckage found in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Local media reports that 11 people comprising six crew members and five passengers, have died in the crash – there are no survivors.
The Dakota air force plane, which crashed late Wednesday, was not carrying members of Nelson Mandela’s medical team, as earlier unconfirmed reports suggested.
According to Mabanga, a rescue operation would be mounted after bad weather the previous day had halted a military helicopter search for the plane.
“The wreckage has been spotted on the mountain range from Pietermaritzburg not far from Ladysmith,” Brig-Gen Mabanga said.
Meanwhile, the South African defence department spokesman, Siphiwe Dlamini, has said the process of informing the deceased members next of kin has commenced and that “the names of the deceased will be released when all the next-of-kin have been informed.”
