FREAK ACCIDENT INJURES 4: DID HELI CARRYING RASSIE FLY TOO LOW?
Four students were injured in a freak accident on the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds of the North-West U,niversity (NWU) just minutes before kick-off in the Varsity Cup match between the NWU Eagles and Stellenbosch University’s Maties on Monday (24 February 2025).
Spectators were queuing at the back of the main pavilion when the helicopter carrying Springbok coach Dr Rassie Erasmus came down “terribly low” over their heads to land on the A field. Just then a steel-framed canvas banner carrying the logos of the NWU and the Eagles fell from the back wall of the pavilion onto some of the people who were standing underneath it, eyewitnesses said.
It is not clear, based on eyewitness accounts why the structure, which is about 15m long and 2m wide, came down, but they raised concerns about whether it could be connected to the direction and height of the helicopter’s approach.
Erasmus, who delivered a guest lecture on the NWU campus earlier at the Faculty of Health Sciences and was a special guest at the rugby match, was in the helicopter with Eagi, the university’s mascot, who always arrives in a helicopter at Varsity Cup home matches.
‘Everyone tried to protect themselves’
“The helicopter came over … very, very, terribly low. Everyone was kind of tense because it was flying so low and typically helicopters [at the matches] won’t come from the main pavilion’s side,” said one student who was in the queue to have her ticket scanned when the incident happened.
“They usually come from the B-field [Van der Hoff Park side]. So, first of all, we were confused about the direction it was coming from. As we turned, we saw a board falling from the wall and then two girls lying under it. I think because it [the helicopter] was flying so low [the] board fell, and everyone just tried to protect themselves,” she said.
One student got up with blood “everywhere on her head and body,” the eyewitness said. “The blood was flowing over her clothes. A medic ran after her and she later came back with bandages around her head and everything and she was very disoriented. She did not really know what was going on and people had to help her to walk.
“The other one was unconscious. When we saw her, she was lying and shaking and when she woke up after about 3 minutes, she did not move at all – she just started crying. They tried to get her on a stretcher to carry her away and yes, it was a shock for everyone.”
‘It was flying too low’
She said the students who saw the incident immediately wanted to know how the injured were doing. She added that a friend who was already in the stadium at the time, told her that “the helicopter also missed the camera people on the stand marginally … It was flying too low. This is what we saw right in front of us. I am just thankful it was not me [who got hurt].”
NWU spokesperson Louis Jacobs confirmed the incident and that four students were injured when a billboard came down. “Medical assistance was provided on the scene, as the availability of such personnel during all events is a must. The university has also arranged for emotional counseling,” he said.
He did not disclose information about the injured students’ condition or their identities, but said that the NWU will investigate the incident according to its safety, health, and environmental protocols.