Quick-thinking policeman rescues pensioner from fast-flowing Free State river

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A Free State policeman has been lauded for his quick action which led to the dramatic rescue of a 67-year-old woman who had apparently tried to commit suicide in the Kgoptjane River on Tuesday.

Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, said Constable Moleko Mabe was travelling to work with colleagues when they heard about the woman in the water on the police radio.

He said when they arrived on the scene, a number of community members were helplessly gathering over the bridge.

“I heard the granny screaming in the bushy area already inside the river asking for help. I couldn’t even see her, but used my amateur swimming skills and made my way through the thorny branches and into the muddy Kgoptjane River,” Mabe said.

According to a SAPS statement, the water was “flowing heavily” due to recent heavy rain.

“It was a bit difficult to reach out to her due to dense branches. I finally took the risk and dived into the flooded river until I reached her. I was not afraid to drown, as my focus was to rescue the granny,” the brave policeman said.

Mabe said when he reached 67-year-old Emma Mahloko from Mangaung Village in Phuthaditjhaba she asked him how he was going to rescue her without a rope.

“I asked her to take a grip of my belt as I started swimming with her towards the bank of the river. I spent almost five minutes in the river struggling to reach the bank,” he said before another resident came to his assistance.

However, the danger had not passed, because as they were walking back slowly towards the road they spotted a snake in the long grass, which eventually slithered away.

Mabe said Mahloko told him “that she wanted to commit suicide because she could not cope with debts back at home.”

She has been reunited with her family and Free State Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Baile Motswenyane, said he was touched by Contable Mabe’s "selflessness."

“The member did not think twice before saving the granny whose life was in danger. In so doing, he risked his own life. There is no doubt that Constable Mabe was not merely performing a duty, he truly lives his calling,” the Commissioner said.

(An exhausted Constable Mabe after his rescue mission)