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29 May 2026
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Race against time in mission impossible: A rescue testimonial by David Nel
As a spokesperson for Wilderness Search And Rescue WSAR Western Cape, I often have the privilege of seeing ordinary people do extraordinary things. Thursday night’s operation on Table Mountain was one of those moments that leaves you humbled by the dedication, compassion and quiet heroism of this rescue community. What began as a routine morning hike for a 50-year-old local man became a desperate race against time when he failed to return home later that afternoon. By late afternoon, his wife became increasingly alarmed when multiple phone calls went unanswered.
Knowing the inherent dangers of the mountain as daylight began to fade, she dialled the emergency number -021 937 0300.
In what would prove to be a lifesaving decision, she was able to access the family’s Life360 tracking application and provide rescuers with an accurate GPS location for her husband. In an environment as vast and unforgiving as Table Mountain, that information changed everything. Instead of searching an entire mountainside in the dark, rescuers could move directly toward a focused area while there was still time to make a difference.
And that is exactly what happened.
Within minutes, volunteer rescuers, Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedics, support staff and a SANParks - Table Mountain National Park ranger dropped whatever they were doing and mobilised toward the mountain. The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway immediately stepped in to ferry rescuers and heavy technical gear to the upper station, allowing teams to gain precious time as temperatures dropped and visibility faded.
From there, rescuers moved quickly across steep terrain before leaving the path entirely to search exposed slopes below the trail.
They found the missing hiker just metres from the GPS coordinates provided by his wife. He had fallen down a drop-off onto a narrow ledge below the trail. Cold, critically injured and unresponsive, his survival depended entirely on the actions of the people surrounding him.
What followed was nothing short of remarkable.
Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedics carefully descended onto the exposed ledge in darkness and immediately began advanced life-saving treatment under exceptionally difficult conditions. Working on a narrow mountainside at night, they fought to stabilise a man they had never met, relying on skill, teamwork and countless hours of training. Their calm professionalism and decisive interventions gave the patient a chance at survival before the technical extraction had even begun.
Above them, technical rescuers moved quietly and efficiently into position, each person instinctively stepping into their role without hesitation. Rope systems were built, anchors established and equipment prepared in the darkness with the kind of calm coordination that only comes from years of training and shared experience.
There was very little said, it was simply rescuers doing what they do, focused entirely on bringing a critically injured stranger home safely.
Once stabilised by paramedics below, the patient was carefully packaged into a rescue stretcher and hauled safely from the ledge before teams began the long and physically demanding carry back toward the upper cable station.
Once safely down the mountain, the injured hiker was handed over to a waiting ambulance and transported to hospital for further treatment.
There are many reasons this story had a positive outcome: a wife who acted early when something did not feel right, accurate location technology that saved critical time, highly trained paramedics delivering life-saving care in impossible conditions, and rescuers willing to push themselves physically and emotionally for a complete stranger.
But there is one more group who deserve special recognition.
A small team from the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway made the selfless decision to miss their own staff function in order to keep the cableway operating for the duration of the rescue. They quietly stayed behind so rescuers could continue moving people and equipment rapidly up and down the mountain.
It is difficult to overstate how important that decision was. Thank you.
Thursday night was a powerful reminder that mountain rescue is never about one person or one organisation. It is a community of people - volunteers, medics, rangers, EMS personnel, cableway staff and support teams - all coming together at a moment’s notice to save a life. To every person involved, thank you. And to the injured hiker and his family, we wish you strength and a full recovery in the days ahead.
• Delta Search & Rescue
• HAMNET
• High Angle Rescue & Access
• K9 Search and Rescue Association of South Africa
• Mountain Club of SA - Search And Rescue
• Off-Road Rescue Unit - ORRU
• SARZA - Western Cape
• The Hikers Network
• Trail SAR
Wherever your journey takes you, please be “Safe, My Mate.”
Save and share the correct Emergency Contact Number - 021 937 0300
Please support us - https://wsar.org.za/support-us/
Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue.
Photos by Naadirah te Water Naude, Adam Griffin, Daniel Vorster, Blake Dyason and Andrew Lewis
Knowing the inherent dangers of the mountain as daylight began to fade, she dialled the emergency number -021 937 0300.
In what would prove to be a lifesaving decision, she was able to access the family’s Life360 tracking application and provide rescuers with an accurate GPS location for her husband. In an environment as vast and unforgiving as Table Mountain, that information changed everything. Instead of searching an entire mountainside in the dark, rescuers could move directly toward a focused area while there was still time to make a difference.
And that is exactly what happened.
Within minutes, volunteer rescuers, Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedics, support staff and a SANParks - Table Mountain National Park ranger dropped whatever they were doing and mobilised toward the mountain. The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway immediately stepped in to ferry rescuers and heavy technical gear to the upper station, allowing teams to gain precious time as temperatures dropped and visibility faded.
From there, rescuers moved quickly across steep terrain before leaving the path entirely to search exposed slopes below the trail.
They found the missing hiker just metres from the GPS coordinates provided by his wife. He had fallen down a drop-off onto a narrow ledge below the trail. Cold, critically injured and unresponsive, his survival depended entirely on the actions of the people surrounding him.
What followed was nothing short of remarkable.
Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedics carefully descended onto the exposed ledge in darkness and immediately began advanced life-saving treatment under exceptionally difficult conditions. Working on a narrow mountainside at night, they fought to stabilise a man they had never met, relying on skill, teamwork and countless hours of training. Their calm professionalism and decisive interventions gave the patient a chance at survival before the technical extraction had even begun.
Above them, technical rescuers moved quietly and efficiently into position, each person instinctively stepping into their role without hesitation. Rope systems were built, anchors established and equipment prepared in the darkness with the kind of calm coordination that only comes from years of training and shared experience.
There was very little said, it was simply rescuers doing what they do, focused entirely on bringing a critically injured stranger home safely.
Once stabilised by paramedics below, the patient was carefully packaged into a rescue stretcher and hauled safely from the ledge before teams began the long and physically demanding carry back toward the upper cable station.
Once safely down the mountain, the injured hiker was handed over to a waiting ambulance and transported to hospital for further treatment.
There are many reasons this story had a positive outcome: a wife who acted early when something did not feel right, accurate location technology that saved critical time, highly trained paramedics delivering life-saving care in impossible conditions, and rescuers willing to push themselves physically and emotionally for a complete stranger.
But there is one more group who deserve special recognition.
A small team from the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway made the selfless decision to miss their own staff function in order to keep the cableway operating for the duration of the rescue. They quietly stayed behind so rescuers could continue moving people and equipment rapidly up and down the mountain.
It is difficult to overstate how important that decision was. Thank you.
Thursday night was a powerful reminder that mountain rescue is never about one person or one organisation. It is a community of people - volunteers, medics, rangers, EMS personnel, cableway staff and support teams - all coming together at a moment’s notice to save a life. To every person involved, thank you. And to the injured hiker and his family, we wish you strength and a full recovery in the days ahead.
• Delta Search & Rescue
• HAMNET
• High Angle Rescue & Access
• K9 Search and Rescue Association of South Africa
• Mountain Club of SA - Search And Rescue
• Off-Road Rescue Unit - ORRU
• SARZA - Western Cape
• The Hikers Network
• Trail SAR
Wherever your journey takes you, please be “Safe, My Mate.”
Save and share the correct Emergency Contact Number - 021 937 0300
Please support us - https://wsar.org.za/support-us/
Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue.
Photos by Naadirah te Water Naude, Adam Griffin, Daniel Vorster, Blake Dyason and Andrew Lewis