Caught in chaos: Capetonians in Dubai during missile attacks
Dalin Oliver reflects on his Dubai experience amid missile strikes.
Image: Screenshot
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has confirmed that it is actively communicating with South Africans stranded in Gulf nations in the wake of the recent US and Israeli military strikes on Iran and the ensuing retaliatory attacks.
DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said no South Africans stated that they are in distress so far, while the deputy director-general, Clayson Monyela, said the department is in communication with South Africans stranded in the region and is reviewing evacuation contingencies.
"So far we have not lost anybody. The South Africans we know of are all accounted for. But the challenge is that unfortunately, it is not possible to move people out to those places because there is no means to do that," Monyela said.
The departments said evacuations of South Africans in Gulf nations can't take place until the bombing stops.
As a result, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) confirmed that at least 14 international flights were cancelled from Sunday until further notice.
ACSA said this is primarily due to the closure of airspace over the UAE and Qatar.
The disruptions saw eight cancellations (seven outbound and one inbound) in OR Tambo International. Four outbound flights have been cancelled at the Cape Town International, while King Shaka International cancelled two outbound.
Cape Town celebrity favourites Tracy Lange and Dalin Oliver are safe, despite being stuck in Dubai as missiles flew overhead.
This follows Saturday night’s US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which killed leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials in Tehran.
In retaliation, Iran fired missiles at US military bases in the region.
One was reportedly intercepted over Dubai, according to comedian Oliver, leading to the United Arab Emirates to shut down their airspace.
The comedian was in Dubai for a stopover en route to the Adelaide Fringe festival in Australia, but is now in the Gulf ‘indefinitely’.
He took to his social media to say: “I’m stuck in Dubai, fellow South Africans.
“I’m safe. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
“But yoh, the last 24 to 48 hours have been wild. So, I had a 20-hour layover. My bra came to fetch [me].
“We are busy walking and above in the air, I just hear ‘boof’ [explosion].
“I thought it was an aeroplane, I look up. I ask my bra, “What’s that?’. He can’t see so lekker without his glasses. I asked if it’s fireworks or a shooting star.
“We just hear again, it’s a missile. A missile in real time, my bru. Live, a missile being intercepted.
“We don’t compute what’s happening. A few hours later we realised what was going on.
“I saw a missile intercepted in real time. That’s the maddest thing ever.”
Tracey Lange
Image: Instagram
Meanwhile, KFM host Lange, who also presents on Dubai92, wrote on Facebook that other than the explosions, she is fine.
She shared: “Other than really loud blasts that we heard earlier, we are OK.
“It’s been scary but we are at home. An alert went off about an hour ago encouraging people to stay indoors and ensuring us that the government is doing everything they can.
“Everything is quite peaceful and calm.”
Meanwhile, former Umhlobo Wenene FM personality, Siphiwo “Spitch” Nzawumbi, claimed they were unable to reach the South African embassy.