Biker rescued after fall down Robbers Pass cliff

This is the reaction of Douglas Affleck (37) after he was involved in a serious accident on Sunday while riding his Suzuki K5 superbike on the Robbers Pass near Pilgrim’s Rest.

Affleck said he and a group of riders were on their way from Lydenburg to Pilgrim’s Rest when he lost control of his bike on a corner.

“How or what happened, I do not know, but I guess that even though I wasn’t travelling fast, I panicked going into the corner and applied my back brakes.

“The back wheel locked and I struck the pavement. The next moment, the bike flipped and I was catapult into the air.”

Affleck was flung through the air and flipped over the side of the cliff next to the road. He struck the ground about 30 metres below the cliff and landed among some small trees.

When the paramedics arrived at the scene, they had to call in the services of Sarza Search and Rescue (previously the Off Road Rescue Unit or Orru) to assist getting him up the cliff.

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While the paramedics stabilised him, Sarza prepared a rope and hauling system.

Due to his injuries, the paramedics called in a helicopter ambulance to transfer him to Mediclinic Nelspruit.
According to Affleck, he had broken several ribs as well as his right shoulder blade. He also tore a tendon in his right knee, for which he might have to have an operation.

Robyn Baard, the spokesperson for Mediclinic Nelspruit, said Affleck’s condition is stable.

“For the past 30 years, Orru has served communities across southern Africa and abroad, providing search and rescue, disaster management, incident command, logistical support and search management services to people in need.

“We are excited to announce a new face for the future of the unit. Over the past three decades, the unit has adapted and evolved to keep up with new developments in the search and rescue discipline and to ensure that our members are prepared to handle any challenge they may face.

“We therefore see it fitting to adapt our name and logo to reflect the future of the unit; Orru going forward will be known as Sarza.

“Our new name is derived from Search and Rescue ZA (South Africa), and encompasses a diversity of core skills and capabilities that we possess, namely:

• The ability to drive anywhere (day or night, in rough terrain or on-road, in convoys or alone)
• Medical proficiency
• Helicopter operations
• Survival skills
• Ropework
• Navigation, mapwork and searching
• Communications, command and control.

“Sarza is represented by over 150 volunteers across South Africa, including Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, who freely give of their time and finances to serve our communities in the form of voluntary search and rescue services.

“Our name change does not take away the past 30 years of experience, and will catapult us into the future to stay relevant. We will continue to serve people in need.
“‘So others may live’.”