South African executive sous chef Sihle Somdaka (37) died in a tragic electric buggy crash on Richard Brandon’s Necker Island – an exclusive £95 000-a-night Caribbean retreat.
According to the Daily Mail, Somdaka – a father-of-two and rising star in the culinary world – lost control of a buggy late on Friday night after attending a farewell party at the island’s Great House.
Despite frantic CPR efforts and being rushed to hospital, he was later pronounced dead from a head injury. Insiders also warned of a long-standing ‘culture of excess’ on the island, suggesting the tragedy followed years of ‘close shaves and near misses.’
Richard Branson’s Private Island Chef Dies In Alleged Freak Accident!
Executive sous chef for Richard Branson, Sihle Somdaka, was found fatally injured after driving an electric buggy aka a golf cart off the road on Necker Island Friday.
Somdaka left a party at the island’s… pic.twitter.com/n0kLP77qs3
— LIZ CROKIN (@LizCrokin) September 1, 2025
Reporting by The New Zealand Herald confirmed that Branson (75) was not on the island at the time but has been in close contact with Somdaka’s family and staff.
Medics and a doctor from nearby Moskito Island attempted to revive him before he was taken to Peebles Hospital on Tortola, where he was declared dead. Police in the British Virgin Islands have since launched a full investigation.
The New York Post added that Somdaka had worked at high-end restaurants in Kuwait and Qatar before landing the prestigious role on Branson’s retreat.
🚨 Executive Chef dies on Richard Branson’s Necker Island
– Who: Sihle Somdaka, 37, executive sous chef, father of two, from Cape Town, South Africa.
– What: Died after “losing control of an electric buggy”, crashing down a steep hillside, sustaining a fatal head injury.
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) September 1, 2025
He left the farewell party just after midnight and crashed while driving down a steep hillside. Days before the incident, he had shared photos on social media celebrating ‘Caribbean life’.
The paper also noted that Necker Island has hosted notable guests over the years, including Princess Diana, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey and former US President Barack Obama.
BREAKING: Richard Branson’s private island chef has died in what’s being called a freak accident, found fatally injured after driving an electric buggy off the road on Necker Island. pic.twitter.com/mxLTJnHzhH
— The General (@GeneralMCNews) September 1, 2025
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Picture: @chef_sihle_90 / Instagram
