December 12th 2022 I got a call from Roland to ask if I can assist him in taking supplies into the Tankwa Karoo and recovering a stuck Nissan Patrol. Little did we know what we were in for...
Heavy rains and strong winds battered the Tankwa Karoo over a short period of 3 days. This disaster left the Tankwa completely underwater, destroying roads and stranding landowners on their properties. Some of the Tankwa residents were stranded on their farms for over a week.
A few of us entered the Tankwa in the mists of this disaster in order to see where we can assist and relay important information to rescue teams while delivering much-needed supplies to those in need. We arrived at the Tankwa when it was in full flood. It took a good few hours to just get to the Tankwa Padstal. The following day we were also stranded in the Tankwa as our only road out was now underwater. Regardless, our mission was to rescue Wessels stuck Patrol. After 36 gruelling hours in the mud and with the help of a backup team, we managed to get the vehicle out of the mud bog. It then took another 4 hours just to get ourselves out of this sticky situation.
A few days later another group of us returned to deliver more supplies to those in need. Thankfully the Tankwa had dried up a little, however, the roads were still in really bad shape. We also ended up recovering another vehicle which got caught in the flash flood. Unforutaly this vehicle seems to be a write-off, but we still managed to recover it from the river.
This flooding in the Tankwa Karoo was a true disaster and the footage does not do the situation justice. The damage caused was horrendous and we are just thankful that we were able to help the Tankwa community in a time of need. They always take so much care of us when we are visiting there. Most of the venues have been restored and are back up and running. I would highly recommend a visit to the Tankwa Karoo to support the local community there.
Special thanks to everyone who assist and everyone who donated supplies!
Recovery Crew:
Dieter Pey
Roland (‪@MyLifeinAfrica‬)
Gareth
Pierre
Hannes (‪@vanventuressa‬)
Ewan & Wyne (‪@FlexAdventures‬)
2nd Supply Drop:
Nicky
Michael
Uwe & Isabel Pey
Tim (‪@troopyinafrica‬)
Donations:
Terrain Tamer
Nuts and Bolts
Everyone else who donated
Hilux Setup
► Suspension - www.terraintamer.com
► Tires - / yokohamatire
► Roof Rack - predatoroffroad.co.za/
► Bumpers - www.bocoffroad.com/
► Accessories - bakkieandoutdoor.co.za/
► Servicing - Zechlin's Auto (072 2386 386)
► Lubricants - flashlube.com
► Radio - www.mtcomm.co.za/
► Bicycle - www.kniperacing.com/
► Throttle Controller - powerplusafrica.com/
Follow my other socials for more adventure content:
► linktr.ee/dieterpey