Tributes are pouring in for a police officer attached to the East London K-9 unit who has drowned in the Nahoon River while on duty.
In a statement on Sunday, police management said 53-year-old Captain Pierre Marx was with other police divers who responded to a report of four people being swept off the Horse-Shoe Valley causeway.
"As they arrived at the scene to assess the situation, they established that the complainant was on the island in the Nahoon River, together with three deceased. The fourth person is still missing in the river," said provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana.
He said the divers managed to take three of the bodies across the stream and also rescued another person, said to be a local farmer.
However, he said Captain Marx struggled with a strong current that swept him away despite attempts by his colleagues to rescue him.
He said Marx disappeared "in the heavy stream" and his body was recovered early on Sunday morning.
Kinana said the untimely passing of Captain Marx has sent shockwaves within the SAPS family, adding that he was a well-known member of the police who made a name for himself both within and outside the police service.
"We have lost a dedicated and dependable hero, a passionate and loyal member of the South African Police Service who kept the SAPS Flag flying high on various occasions," said Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene.
