Fancourt mourns employee killed in devastating George windstorm

GEORGE NEWS - Fancourt has announced with profound sadness that one of its employees has died after being struck by a falling tree during the severe windstorm that battered George today, 11 May.

The tragic incident occurred on the estate in Montagu Street, Blanco, at about 10:55 as gale-force winds swept across the Garden Route, uprooting trees and causing widespread damage.

In a statement released this afternoon, Leroy Ferreira, director of marketing at Fancourt, confirmed that the employee had sustained fatal injuries during the storm.

“Despite emergency response efforts, the employee sadly passed away,” the statement read.

Out of respect for the employee’s family, the estate said no further details regarding the victim would be released.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Chris Spies confirmed that the George police had opened an inquest docket following the incident.

“The police were summoned to a scene at a premises along Montagu Street where a woman, employed at the business, had gone to park her vehicle when a tree fell on her. The members found the victim with multiple injuries. Medical personnel declared her dead on the scene,” said Spies.

The deceased was identified as a 63-year-old woman.

Uprooted trees at the George Golf Club along Witfontein Road.

Fancourt said the powerful storm caused widespread damage across the property, including fallen trees and damage to some infrastructure.

“While the mopping-up operations have already started, it will take us some time to assess the extent of the damage and the roll-out of the necessary repairs and maintenance thereof,” the statement continued.

Despite the disruption caused by the storm, the hotel remains fully operational. Fancourt added that transport arrangements for some staff members had been affected, but the situation was expected to normalise by Tuesday 12 May.

Motorists carefully navigating their way through traffic and under tree branches over the road.

Body of missing man spotted in Meiringspoort

On Saturday, 9 May, a man sadly drowned after being swept away by a flooded river in Klaarstroom, near the Swartberg Mountains.

According to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), his body was discovered today, 11 May, in Meiringspoort after his father went searching for him. Recovery operations are expected to begin once weather conditions improve sufficiently for a helicopter to fly safely.

“On behalf of the Garden Route, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those who lost their lives during these tragic incidents,” said GRDM Executive Mayor Marais Kruger.

Dangerous conditions still persist

The head of Garden Route Disaster Management, Gerhard Otto, warned that dangerous conditions still persist across the district.

“Rivers, uprooted trees, broken branches, roofing material and other debris may still pose dangers to both motorists and pedestrians,” he said.

Meanwhile, disaster management teams also received an urgent request for medical assistance for a woman in labour who required transport. Authorities were considering deploying medics from the South African Infantry School using a 4x4 ambulance due to the challenging conditions.

In a separate statement, Eskom said strong winds continued to severely affect its network, causing multiple unplanned outages and leaving thousands of residents without electricity.

“Eskom recovery teams have been dispatched to attend to the various faults but face major challenges in some areas where infrastructure is inaccessible due to severe flooding and unsafe conditions," the power utility said.

In the Garden Route, major faults have been reported in Albertinia, Karatara, Knysna, Meiringspoort, Plettenberg Bay and surrounding areas, Rheenendal, Robberg, Riversdale, Sedgefield, Stilbaai, Woodville and Wilderness.

The George fire brigade is also attending to a fire that broke out in an open field at the back of Andersonville earlier tonight (11 May).