A late afternoon call from Gauteng EMS set our SARZA Gauteng members scrambling to Randfontein, as reports were received of a building collapse with entrapments.
From across the province, our volunteers mobilised swiftly, converging with EMS, Disaster Management, Fire and Rescue, and SAPS K9 Search and Rescue to secure the scene and begin the somber task of searching for survivors.
Sadly, as eyewitness accounts were confirmed, the collapse claimed the life of one individual. A painstaking process of clearing rubble followed, ultimately leading to the recovery of their body. Our members arrived back home just before the clock struck midnight.
While the Randfontein scene was managed swiftly and calmly, it carried a quiet weight for many of our responders. It unfolded on the eve of a solemn anniversary - one year since the tragic George building collapse.
That night remains deeply etched in memory, as many of these same rescuers had worked tirelessly through the nights alongside SARZA teams from the Free State and Lowveld, navigating the wreckage with unwavering resolve, after a call for assistance was received from SARZA Cape, who manned the day shifts.
As we pause to remember, our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all who were affected by the tragedy. We honour the multitude of rescuers whose lives have been shaped by these moments - who continue to carry the memory of those they could not save, and the resilience of those who survived.
#SoOthersMayLive
