The body of an elderly male was found on Table Mountain on Monday [June 1], the first day national parks were reopened to the public on Level 3.
According to News24, Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) group received a call at 4.30pm on Monday from a witness saying they had seen someone lying on the mountain.
A team was sent to the reserve to investigate, and discovered the body of a man near the Nursery Ravine. The man was approximately 60-years-old. According to News24, the person who reported the incident had heard the sound of falling rocks and then saw the body, leading the team to believe he had fallen from the mountain.
“Once the body had been found and it was established beyond doubt that the person was deceased, WSAR in conjunction with the SA Police Service commenced the process of gathering evidence on scene after which the body was packaged,” said WSAR spokesperson Johan Marais.
The retrieval of the man’s body was postponed to this morning [June 2], due to fading light and the position of the body. The Department of Health sent an AMS helicopter this morning, which brought the body to a temporary landing zone in Newlands forest.
“The body is now in the care of the police who have taken over the investigation,” Marais said. “We mourn the death of a person on the first day of the opening of the mountain in terms of the pandemic regulations.”
Although hiking is now allowed in Level 3, WSAR urges hikers to be extra cautious in the area while maintaining safe social distancing.
“Even though social distancing is required, please do not walk/hike alone in the wilderness areas,” said Marais.
Also read: Selected areas of Table Mountain National Park remain closed
Picture: Facebook / SANParks – Table Mountain National Park