DCD Protected Mobility made available a Sherp multi-purpose amphibious vehicle for search and rescue and aid relief efforts in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) over the weekend following heavy snowfall that amongst others trapped motorists on the Van Reenen Pass.
Multiple government and non-government entities came together, coordinated by the National Disaster Management Centre, to ensure the safety of those affected by the unusually inclement weather. Government entities that responded to the snowfall that began on Friday included the South African Police Service (SAPS), N3 Toll Concession, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Non-government entities included ER24, Gift of the Givers, and SARZA.
DCD provided a Sherp vehicle, which, “played a critical role in the rescue efforts,” according to SARZA, which is a volunteer search and rescue organization that makes use of 4×4 owners in South Africa to respond to people whose lives may be in danger. SARZA has regional teams in six of the country’s nine provinces.
“Your support made a huge impact and helped us save lives during the mission,” SARZA said of DCD in regard to efforts primarily focused on the Van Reenen Pass on Saturday 21 September, where conditions were “particularly challenging.”
The Sherp multi-purpose amphibious vehicle is offered by DCD for military, search and rescue, mining, private and other applications. It is manufactured by Quadro International. The first vehicle was produced in 2012. In 2018 the company became an official provider for the United Nations and in 2019 received a UN award. More than a thousand vehicles have been sold around the world – most customers are non-private entities, including NGOs and mining companies.
The vehicle comes in several variants. The Sherp UTV was the first model produced, followed by the Sherp Pro in 2017; the Sherp Ark and Sherp Shuttle followed in 2019 and the Sherp N 1200 in 2020. The Sherp Ark adds a 6×6 trailer to the vehicle while the Sherp Shuttle is a boat that can carry and launch two Sherp vehicles.
The Sherp Pro can carry six people or more than 1 000 kg payload. It has a top speed of 40 km/h on land and 6 km/h on water. It can operate in -40 to +40 degree conditions. The Sherp Ark can carry four people in the main vehicle and 18 in the trailer.
The weekend snowfall resulted in the death of a 39-year-old woman who passed away on Saturday while trapped in the blizzard that engulfed the N3 between Van Reenen’s Pass, connecting KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State.
Van Reenen’s Pass was reopened to traffic on Sunday 22 September as key routes in Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape were cleared, although conditions were still poor in some areas.
The government extended its appreciation to the assistance by humanitarian organisations for the relief they rendered, GCIS said in a statement.
