Stranded and severely confused, an elderly German man found himself unexpectedly living like a pauper on the streets of Durban. This was before a Good Samaritan connected him with a social worker who didn’t just extend a helping hand but endured a back-and-forth with authorities to ensure he finally and safely boarded a plane back home to his loved ones.
Durban, South Africa (04 June 2025) – Sr Cathy Murugan, a dedicated social worker, and her team are always busy with a variety of cases, often encountering unique and even bizarre stories along the way.
A particularly laborious case involving an elderly German man who had strangely found his way to Durban back in 2023, finally concluded on a heartwarming note last month.
With his permission, the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) shared the story of Rolf Schönhöfer, a 69-year-old German man who had been stranded in Durban for the past 18 months.
Rolf, who suffers from schizophrenia, had left his home country because, in his mind, he thought the German government was persecuting him for a crime he did not commit.
“Somehow – he does not know how – he ended up stepping off a plane at King Shaka airport in December 2023.
“Without any plan or much money, he was basically homeless on arrival,” DHC shared.
Alone and stranded in a foreign country and an unfamiliar city, Rolf wandered the streets of Durban for seven days until someone offered to take him to a ruined house for shelter. He ended up staying there for quite a while but soon lost his passport, cell phone, and other valuable belongings.
A Good Samaritan later introduced Rolf to the DHC, and there he met the woman who persevered to help him get through this troubled period in his life, Sr Cathy Murugan.
“With Cathy’s help, Rolf began the journey of getting his papers in order, the first crucial step towards helping him return home to Germany.
“She was able to get in contact with Rolf’s wife but discovered that they were no longer together. But through her, Cathy did manage to get in contact with Rolf’s psychologist. He was able to access money from Rolf’s social grant so we could buy a plane ticket for Rolf to go back home.”
With that in place, Cathy and Rolf were shuffled back and forth between the German Embassy and the South African Department of Home Affairs in an effort to get his papers in order. Cathy eventually received assistance from an official at the Embassy, who provided the necessary documents for Home Affairs to approve.
After a year and six months of being stranded in South Africa, Rolf finally boarded a flight home to Nuremberg, where he is now safe and reunited with people who know him (and speak his language!).
Rolf’s unexpected journey just goes to show that with the right support, even the most difficult challenges can be overcome.
We commend the tireless efforts of Sr Cathy, who didn’t throw in the towel when the system gave her the runaround, but instead showed compassion and went above and beyond to help an elderly man safely return to the place he calls home.
Sources: Denis Hurley Centre
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