Dr. Clement Plaatjies.
Following their U20 World Championship triumph, the Junior Springboks have secured a victory far greater than any trophy, with team doctor Dr. Clement Plaatjies credited with saving a passenger's life mid-flight. The Junior Springboks were returning to South Africa this week, fresh from celebrating their U20 World Championship title, when an ordinary flight home turned into a life-or-death crisis.
As the team and management travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town, a fellow passenger suffered a medical emergency, collapsing aboard the aircraft while over Bloemfontein.
The situation required an immediate, professional response, and the team was fortunate to have Dr. Plaatjies on board. SA Rugby’s General Manager for High Performance, Dave Wessels, acted quickly to alert the doctor to the emergency. Junior Springboks head coach Kevin Foote, who witnessed the harrowing scene, described the swift actions of the medical staff in an interview with Netwerk24.
"A woman collapsed on the flight," Foote stated. "I saw Dave calling Clem and when he got there, he resuscitated her. He literally pumped and pumped and said he wasn’t picking up a pulse." Dr. Plaatjies performed tireless CPR under immense pressure, eventually managing to revive the passenger before the flight could be diverted.
