Vehicle plunged into bush at busy Amalinda junction.
A BADLY injured and dehydrated East London man miraculously survived being trapped in his vehicle for three days after an accident near a busy Amalinda intersection.
After having last been seen by friends at a Scenery Park tavern on Saturday night, Zolani Nobavu’s desperate cries for help were finally heard yesterday afternoon by two homeless men.
Police and emergency services rushed to the scene and administered medical treatment to the father of two who, was then rushed to Life Beacon Bay hospital. The extent of his injuries was not clear by the print deadline.
Mayekiso said it felt good knowing he had saved someone’s life. “I don’t know why we did not find him earlier because we are always here,” he said. “We sell recycled bottles right next to the bush.”
When the Daily Dispatch arrived on the scene a large crowd had gathered to witness the “miracle”.
As paramedics removed Nobavu from the bush on a stretcher, his swollen face could be seen with several wounds already stitched. He was conscious. His vehicle was on its side and the roof had been cut away to free him. His girlfriend Tabisa Sopete was on the scene.
She had told the Dispatch earlier that the family was baffled by his disappearance and his elderly mother’s health had taken a sharp downturn.
“This is God’s miracle. I am so happy. We have been praying since Sunday, when he failed to return home. I lied to our children and said their father was in Cape Town for work. “But now my stress has been lifted. We have not been sleeping,” Sopete said.
His family and friends had placed posts on various social media sites since his disappearance asking for help in tracing him. “We searched everywhere – hospitals, mortuaries, jail cells and even courts,” said his friend Ludwe Myoyo. “He loves his children and loves spending time with them, so when he did not return home we were sure something had happened to him.”
Police spokesman Lieutenant Nkosikho Mzuku yesterday said it was possible that Nobavu had been trapped by the safety belt and crumpled metal.
He said police had opened a case of reckless and negligent driving. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za