EAST LONDON – The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene has expressed shock and devastation at the loss of one of the proficient divers of the South African Police Service in the Eastern Cape, Captain Pierre Marx aged 53, who went missing on Saturday the 08 January 2022 in the afternoon.

Preliminary report suggests that Captain Marx was attending to a complaint of drowning together with his co-divers from East London K9 Search and Rescue. The complaint related to reported four (4) people who were allegedly swept off Horse Shoe Valley causeway. As they arrived at the scene to assess the situation, they established that the complainant was on the Island in the main stream of the Nahoon River together with three (3) deceased whilst the fourth one was still missing in the river.

According to the report, the officers managed to take the three bodies across the stream. After a successful rescue of the complainant who is believed to be a local farmer, Captain Marx struggled with a strong current sweeping him despite attempts by his colleagues to rescue him. He disappeared in the heavy stream and only to be recovered in the early morning of Sunday the 09th January 2022.

The untimely passing of Captain Marx has sent shockwaves within the SAPS family and the community at large who have voiced out their distress at the devastating news of his drowning. Captain Pierre Marx is a well-known member of the SAPS who made himself a name within and outside the SAPS for his outstanding heroic rescue activities within the Province. He was very popular among various communities who witnessed his sense of commitment and empathetic disposition towards the plight of the people. He has won a couple of Bravery Awards one of which was when he saved a young boy from drowning in a storm water drain in East London.

Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene visited the crime scene in the early morning of Sunday where the member had drowned and later proceeded to the mortuary where his body is lying whilst arrangements for his funeral are still underway. Addressing Captain Marx’s colleagues and SAPS management at the conclusion of her visit, the Provincial Commissioner reiterated her devastation at the loss of the late Hero.

“This is a sad day not only for the SAPS family but for the entire community. Captain Pierre Marx was an asset and hope for all of us. We have lost a dedicated and dependable hero, a passionate and loyal member of the South African Police Service who kept the SAPS Flag flying high on various occasions. He promoted the image of the organisation in a manner that made all of us proud to be associated with the SAPS. On behalf of the management in the Province, I wish to send my deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues. May his Soul rest in Peace. Lieutenant General Mene concluded.

The details of Captain Marx’s funeral will be communicated in due course and once the family has made a determination in this regard.

Source: South African Police Service