Staff Reporter
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has honoured rescuers involved in a high-risk operation at Grootdraai Dam, a Wilderness surfer who helped save a struggling swimmer and two volunteers who have each given 55 years of service to the organisation.
The awards were presented at the NSRI’s 59th Annual General Meeting and Awards Evening at Club Mykonos in Langebaan.
The ceremony recognised acts of bravery and gallantry as well as distinguished and long service. Under the NSRI’s awards system, Bravery Awards are presented to civilians, while Gallantry Awards recognise NSRI crew members.
NSRI Chairperson Jonathan Velloza, who presented the awards, said the ceremony celebrated both individual acts and the contribution made by people supporting the organisation.
“Tonight we honour extraordinary courage and lifelong commitment. Every award represents not only individual bravery but also the collective spirit of the NSRI, volunteers, families, partners, and supporters working together to save lives,” he said.
The evening’s top honours went to members of the rescue team and a civilian involved in an operation at Grootdraai Dam in Mpumalanga on 29 December 2025.
Four men on a leisure outing were left in danger after their ski-boat suffered engine failure and was blown onto the dam wall, trapping them at the edge of the spillway.
The men entered the water and clung to the vessel, which was being held in place only by its motor, while rapidly flowing water following heavy rains threatened to sweep them over a 40-metre drop.
NSRI Witbank responded by towing its rescue craft, Harvey’s Fibreglass, about 140km to the dam.
When the team arrived, the South African Police Service, Delta 1 Search and Rescue, Police K9 Search and Rescue, Mpumalanga Fire and Rescue Services and Government Health EMS were already at the scene but had been unable to reach the four men.
The Department of Water and Sanitation opened sluice gates to reduce the flow of water, helping to stabilise the stranded vessel and give rescuers additional time.
With no local knowledge of the dam and facing darkness, strong winds and fast-flowing water, the NSRI crew sought the assistance of Riaan Reijsbergen, a member of the public familiar with the dam.
Reijsbergen guided the rescue crew about four kilometres upstream towards the spillway and assisted them in navigating the unfamiliar area throughout the operation.
NSRI Witbank Station Commander and coxswain Travis Clack adapted the rescue operation as conditions developed, deciding to recover all four men simultaneously using a single throw line and rescue tube before using controlled reverse thrust to pull them away from the spillway.
Deputy Station Commander Francois du Randt and trainee crew member Jacoline Enslin managed the line from the bow during the extraction.
All four men, who had spent more than four hours in the water, were brought safely ashore. They were hypothermic but otherwise uninjured.
NSRI Station 27 Gauteng also responded in support, towing the rescue craft Rotary Endeavour about 170km from its Benoni base and remaining on standby throughout the operation.
Clack received the NSRI Gallantry Gold Award for his leadership, decision-making and boat handling in the extreme conditions, while Du Randt and Enslin were each presented with the NSRI Gallantry Silver Award for their composure and skill during the extraction.
Reijsbergen received the NSRI Bravery Silver Award for volunteering to guide the rescue team while putting his own safety at risk.
NSRI Chief Executive Officer Michael Vonk also sent letters of thanks to Station 27 Gauteng and the Department of Water and Sanitation, recognising the department’s swift and informed intervention as instrumental in the success of the rescue.
The NSRI also recognised Wilderness surfer Cade Harris for helping rescue a swimmer at Lientjiesklip, Wilderness Beach, on 13 January.
Harris was watching two swimmers in rough seas and dumping shore-break waves when he saw them get into difficulty.
He paddled out on his surfboard and reached a 29-year-old man from Upington who was exhausted and barely conscious. Harris helped get the man onto the board and kept him afloat until NSRI rescue swimmers and lifeguards could assist him to shore.
The man was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms and discharged from hospital the following morning.
Harris received the NSRI Bravery Bronze Award for his willingness to intervene.
Several NSRI stations were also recognised at the ceremony. Station 9 Gordon’s Bay was named Most Improved Station, Station 11 Port Alfred received the award for Best RIB — Rigid Inflatable Boat — Station, while Station 19 Richards Bay received the Pat O’Sullivan Trophy for Best Class 1 Station. Station 19 is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
The Marmion Marsh Trophy for distinguished service to the NSRI was presented to Mark Bayly.
The award is named in memory of Marmion Marsh, the late Managing Director of Safmarine and a prominent supporter of the NSRI.
Bayly has been involved with the NSRI for two decades, initially serving as an ambassador for the WaterWise water-safety education programme. Since 2017, he has served as master of ceremonies at the NSRI’s Annual General Meeting and Awards Evening, performing the role without charge each year.
The Alric Simpson Floating Trophy was presented to the Oceana Group in recognition of its 23-year partnership with the NSRI.
The maritime-themed knot board was commissioned by Eleanor Simpson and her sons in memory of her husband and is presented annually for distinguished service to the organisation.
Oceana’s partnership with the NSRI began in 2002 and developed into a Platinum Partnership in 2013.
Its support has helped keep volunteer crews equipped and trained, expanded drowning-prevention education in vulnerable communities and supported safety-at-sea and first-aid training for small-scale fishing cooperatives around South Africa.
The NSRI also conferred Honorary Life Governor status on David James in recognition of his selfless contribution to sea rescue in South Africa.
Clifford Ireland received the Meritorious Service Award on his retirement as the NSRI’s KwaZulu-Natal representative on the Operations Support Committee, the committee’s chairperson and an NSRI Governance Board director.
Ireland served the organisation for 34 years, including five years leading the committee. His previous honours include a Gallantry Silver Award in 2022 for his leadership during the catastrophic KwaZulu-Natal floods.
The ceremony also recognised volunteers and staff members who have served the NSRI for 20 years or longer, including Patrick van Eyssen of Station 3 Table Bay and Ian Hamilton of Station 15 Mossel Bay, who have each completed 55 years of service.
Those recognised for 20 years of service were Eoudia Erasmus, Penelope Guy and Bernard Schäfer of the Volunteer Support Centre; Kevin Pirzenthal of Station 7 East London; Yvette du Preez of Station 10 Simon’s Town; and Jean du Plessis of Station 31 Still Bay.
Those receiving 25-year service awards and Honorary Life Membership were Busiswe Guga of the Volunteer Support Centre; Jacobus Smit of Station 9 Gordon’s Bay; Declan Nurse, Grant van Staden and Jerome Simonis of Station 12 Knysna; Marc Rodgers and Neal Stephenson of Station 14 Plettenberg Bay; Robert van Helsdingen of Station 23 Wilderness; and Reinard Geldenhuys of Station 30 Agulhas.
Thirty-year service awards went to Rhine Barnes of Station 18 Melkbosstrand, Deon Langenhoven of the Volunteer Support Centre and Pieter Zaayman of Station 15 Mossel Bay.
Darren Zimmerman of Station 10 Simon’s Town and Antonie de Klerk of Station 17 Hermanus were recognised for 35 years of service.
Andy Connell of the Volunteer Support Centre and Mark Thompson of Bakoven received 40-year service awards, while Andrew Ingram and Keith Burchell, both of the Volunteer Support Centre, were recognised for 45 years.
Van Eyssen and Hamilton received the longest-service honours for reaching 55 years with the organisation.
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