The South African beach where Munster rugby coach Greig Oliver was killed in a tragic paragliding accident is said to be "cursed" by superstitious locals after two more deaths on it within 48 hours.
His tragic death on Rocklands Beach stunned locals as for the two following days the Cape Point Promenade was filled with ambulances and police cars and fire engines as two other locals also drowned in the surf.A local witchdoctor - known as a sangoma - calling herself "Geesvrou" said that the three deaths all happened in succession over the spring tides of the full moon and said that the "spirit god" would be satisfied.
The pilot was seen as high waves washed him and Oliver onto rocks in a heavy surf trying to pull him up from below the surface and unravel cords from the chute wrapped around him as rescuers ran to help. It is not known whether their scrum half son Jack will be part of the Ireland U-20’s team who play South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals on Sunday in Cape Town near the beach where his dad lost his life.Oliver and fellow parents were in South Africa cheering on the Irish team and took a coach from their hotel to Signal Hill which overlooks Rocklands Beach having paid £60 for the 15-minute flight.
But to the horror of locals where the paragliders land on the grassy promenade outside the historic Winchester Hotel two more Cape Town people died on successive days in the aftermath of Mr Oliver. On Wednesday a man in his twenties was seen to fall off the rocks at almost the same spot as the woman and was sucked out to sea in a strong rip tide but he could not be found and washed up on Thursday.