In September 2023, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and other emergency medical teams rushed to Kommetjie in Cape Town after naval personnel encountered difficulties in the water during a routine exercise drill, Cape {town} Etc reports.
At the time, preliminary reports indicated that two individuals were washed out to sea after a freak wave struck the SAS Manthatisi submarine .
It was later confirmed that three people - 33-year-old Lieutenant-Commander Gillian Elizabeth Hector , Master Warrant Officer William Masela Mathipa (48) and Warrant Officer Class One Mmokwapa Lucas Mojela (43) - lost their lives due to the impact of a 'huge wave' on the vessel .
'It was just the submarine was at the right place at the wrong time when Mother Nature had the final word,' said Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese, South African Navy chief on Friday when he revealed the outcomes of an investigation into the death of the three mariners.
'The weather on the day was manageable and the vertical transfer (Vertrep) had previously been completed in comparable to worse weather circumstances. The Vertrep was approved by the Officer Commanding of the submarine and helicopter,' he added.
