{"id":296055,"date":"2026-01-19T12:23:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T10:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=296055"},"modified":"2026-01-19T12:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T10:23:30","slug":"fatal-paragliding-accident-in-porterville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/fatal-paragliding-accident-in-porterville\/","title":{"rendered":"Fatal paragliding accident in Porterville"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A paragliding incident in Porterville turned tragic when a 57-year-old man from Britain lost his life.<br>According to Tania Helfrich, district spokesperson for the West Coast policing district, the incident occurred on Sunday 18 January, at approximately 11:00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>&#8220;A group of four international paragliders jumped from Dasklip Pass, Porterville, when one member of the group, Lawrence Highman (57) from England, lost control at some point during the jump and fell in the Porterville mountains on the Cardouw farm,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" data-attachment-id=\"296056\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/fatal-paragliding-accident-in-porterville\/eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-ke_ksbingdg-unsplash\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-KE_ksBiNgdg-unsplash.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1709\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-KE_ksBiNgdg-unsplash\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A paraglider lost his life in Porterville.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-KE_ksBiNgdg-unsplash-1024x684.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-KE_ksBiNgdg-unsplash-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"A paraglider lost his life in Porterville.\" class=\"wp-image-296056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-KE_ksBiNgdg-unsplash-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-KE_ksBiNgdg-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/eduardo-casajus-gorostiaga-KE_ksBiNgdg-unsplash-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A paraglider lost his life in Porterville.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br>According to a press release by the South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA), emergency response and rescue coordination were managed by the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre, with recovery conducted by local Emergency Medical Services.<br>&#8220;Despite the rapid response, the pilot succumbed to injuries sustained in the accident. SAHPA extends its condolences to the family, friends, and the broader aviation community affected by this tragedy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>The press release further states that circumstances surrounding the accident are subject to a formal investigation by the relevant authorities. &#8220;As this process is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the accident at this stage.&#8221;<br><em>Weslander\u00a0<\/em>has not yet succeeded obtaining commentary from Highman&#8217;s family or friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A paragliding incident in Porterville turned tragic when a 57-year-old man from Britain lost his life.According to Tania Helfrich, district spokesperson for the West Coast policing district, the incident occurred 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