Three bikers were rescued near the summit of the treacherous Bastervoetpad Pass in the Eastern Cape by local farmers on 19 December.
The summit of the Bastervoetpad Pass with the storm moving in.
After leaving for the pass at 10 am, they had only covered 10km by nightfall. The summit of the 20 km pass lies at 2240 m, often subject to inclement weather. The rough gravel pass traverses the southern arm of the Drakensberg in the vicinity of Barkly East in the Eastern Cape.
The three bikers sent out a distress signal after encountering gale-force winds, hail, heavy rain and lightning; and one of the riders was suspected to have cracked ribs after multiple falls.
They had managed to contact the ER in Ugie, but without 4WD available, the ambulance could not reach them. The group proceeded to contact Geoff Russell, a local motorcycle guide, who in turn reached out to Trygve Roberts from Mountain Passes of South Africa (MPSA), who managed to get hold of farmers close to the start of the pass – Sarel and Jody Vorster.
Sarel and Jody own a farm just north of Elliot, not far from the pass. around 8:30 pm, they answered the phone and without hesitation, Sarel went to pick up the three bikers with his bakkie. Jody had prepped blankets, food and warm drinks to take with him.
Their bikes were collected the next day.
Sarel got to the stranded trio at about 22.30 and successfully got them back to the Mountain Shadows Hotel by 00.45 where the owner, Ria, had organised an ambulance to take the injured biker to Barkley East and provided the space for the rest to recover from the arduous journey
The survival of these three bikers is a testament to the selfless sacrifices made by Ria, Sarel and Jody to save someone they had never met.
Back home in time for Christimas. The three bikers, Johann Coetzer, Johan White and Okkie Oosthuizen who got stuck on the Bastervoetpad Pass
MPSA suggests that you should never underestimate the Bastervoetpad Pass, appealing to those who choose to drive to take it seriously. Bikers should preferably have a 4×4 backup vehicle and 4x4s should not drive this pass alone.
Pictures: Supplied/ MPSA
ALSO READ: Planning a Namibian trip soon? Six reasons to take it slow up the N7.
