Cliff of death

At least eight people have died in the past four years at Voëlklip, the picnic and fishing spot near Herolds Bay where Heidi Scheepers’s vehicle plummeted over a cliff last week.

Some have died in car accidents while others have been washed off the rocks while fishing.

With the bodies of Scheepers, 35, and her  son, Hugo, 2, already recovered, and the search still on for her daughter Cuzette, 6, the dangers of the site loomed large for residents.

Shocked by the tragedy that has befallen the family, residents have raised concerns about the need to increase safety measures at the 100m-high precipice situated outside Herolds Bay.

In November 2015, three George students died after their Toyota Hilux plummeted off the same cliff near the lookout.

The bodies of  Marnic Els, 21, and Luandro Jansen, 22, were found, but  20-year-old Werner Finger’s body was never recovered.

That same month, Gabriel Harker, 38, was  washed off  the rocks while fishing.

A few weeks later, just before Christmas, Josh Allpass, 15, and Warrick Dickson, 14, were washed off the rocks while fishing. They were never found.

Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie confirmed that the vehicle driven by the missing students in 2015 had plunged off the cliff at the “exact same spot” as the vehicle driven by Scheepers.

“A fisherman’s bakkie also fell off the cliff about a kilometre from where the two incidents happened,” he said, adding he did not recall the exact details.

On Saturday afternoon, a body believed to be that of Scheepers was found just off the Herolds Bay beach.

She had taken her family for a walk on  the beach at about 6pm on Tuesday, but they failed to return home, sparking a huge search.

Scheepers and the children were reported missing by her husband, Ettienne, 36, a few hours later.

Ettienne’s brother, Marius, said the family would release a statement on Monday.

Pojie said a postmortem would be carried out on Scheepers  body.

“A resident near the bay area spotted the body and alerted us. The body was recovered by the NSRI at around 12.30pm,” he said.

The search for the vehicle in which the young mother and her children had been travelling  ended on Thursday, when the wrecked minivan was found in the ocean at the bottom of the  cliff at Voëlklip.

Fresh skid marks on the gravel road bordering the cliffs in Voëlklip, close to Herolds Bay, had led the search parties to focus on that area on Wednesday.

The VW Caravelle was found at about 5.30am on Thursday — during low tide.

The wrecked vehicle was eventually briefly hoisted out of the sea below the 100m cliff in the early evening, but there were no bodies inside.

Later that day, the body of a little boy was found floating in a gorge at Voëlklip.

“At this point, it is too early to tell what led to the accident”, Pojie said.

An inquest docket has been opened.

He said the search was continuing for Cuzette along the coastline.

“The search vessel was out at first light  on Sunday morning and we have also got 4x4 and foot patrols comprising police and volunteers moving up and down the coast, and spotters with binoculars on the high ground.

“The sea conditions have now changed for the worse so the [NSRI] vessel has had to return to its berth at Mossel Bay but the rest of the search is continuing.”

Herolds Bay resident Lusinda van der Westhuizen said though she did not know the family personally, she had been devastated by the tragic news.

“There have been a lot of stories about that cliff and many people have lost their lives there,” she said, adding that she would stay away from the area in future.

“When something of this nature happens frequently, I honestly think some safety measures need to be applied.

“When people start losing their lives in a quiet area like this, you need to start taking such measures,” she said.

Another resident, Aileen Vos, said the incident had sent shock waves throughout the community from Wilderness to Mossel Bay.

— Additional reporting by Zizonke May.