A large-scale multi-agency search-and-rescue operation is urgently underway in the Helderberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West following the disappearance of 37-year-old hiker Itumeleng Mekoa.
He has not been heard from since the weekend; friends became deeply concerned when communication abruptly stopped and subsequent attempts to reach him failed. Alarms were also raised after Mekoa had failed to report for work.
According to Somerset West police spokesperson Sgt Suzan Jantjies he went hiking alone on Saturday 4 July.
While on the trails he remained in contact with a friend via WhatsApp. When communication suddenly stopped and attempts to reach him failed she alerted the authorities, prompting an immediate search response.
Jantjies confirmed the Somerset West police officially opened a missing person’s docket on Tuesday (7 July) to further the investigation.
According to emergency tracking data Mekoa’s last confirmed contact was around 15:00 on Sunday. He was roughly 6,6 km into his hike, positioned along the neck of the Helderberg Dome.
A specific location coordinate pinged earlier on Sunday at 13:48, but rescue personnel noted it remained unconfirmed whether he had proceeded to summit the peak from that point.
Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR), the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) and specialised K9 units launched a coordinated grid search. Because time was of the essence teams were deployed immediately while the official police paperwork was being finalised.
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“The search commenced with assistance from WSAR and was currently still underway,” a rescue spokesperson confirmed. “We are trying all of our options.”
Search teams have braved difficult terrain to cover vast sections of the reserve over the last 48 hours, including Protea Route (eastern/right side) where extensive tracking was conducted by K9 units. The Waboom Route was swept thoroughly by K9 teams, the Disa Gorge was combed by two separate teams, who pushed through the gorge up to the Dome, and MCSA and K9 teams successfully summited the Dome, completing extensive ground searches at the top.
A thermal-imaging drone scanned the Dome and his last-known location from the Lourensford side overnight, while ground teams deployed a localised drone flight at the peak.
The next step for rescue teams includes a high-definition daytime drone flight alongside additional targeted trail searches to cover any remaining blind spots.
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