An executive director of cellular network, Cell C, the managing directors of Nashua Mobile and Click & Call, two of their wives and a charted pilot were killed in a helicopter crash near Graskop in Mpumalanga on Sunday night.
Cell C sales director, Ruco Durand, his wife, Yvette, Nashua Mobile MD, Simon Herbert, his wife, Kelly, Click & Call MD, Jarren Koppel - brother of singer Danny K - and the pilot, Louis Nel were all killed in the accident.
The Bell 407 helicopter was one of three that had been chartered by the company to ferry staff members back to Johannesburg, following a workshop at Earth Lodge in Sabi Sabi.
Initial investigations suggest there was no mechanical problem with the helicopter and it has been suggested that heavy mist may have played a role in the accident. Graskop residents say that thick mist can set in over the area within 15 minutes, reducing visibility to as little as three metres.
The recovery of the wreckage and the bodies has been hampered by the region`s rough terrain, although operations were being co-ordinated by the Graskop Police Services with the support of the Civil Aviation Authority Search and Rescue, the SA Air Force, Sappi forest rangers and paramedics from the Graskop Traffic Department.
Nashua Mobile marketing director, Doug Mattheus confirmed that Herbert (44) had been killed in the crash.
"Obviously this leaves a big gap in our business. Although we have a good team, it is always very difficult when you lose your captain, especially in these circumstances," says Mattheus.
"Our staff, naturally, are devastated by the news, and we are currently trying to steady the ship. To this end, we have appointed our financial director, John Ellis, as managing director on a temporary basis."
Cell C`s acting head of corporate communications, Moira Sheridan, said that the company was shocked by the news of the crash.
Speaking from Graskop, Cell C CEO, Talaat Laham, said that the loss of life was tragic. "It`s been devastating for those of us who were friends and colleagues of the people who died. It`s all the more harrowing for their families - and our hearts go out to them."
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