First, Durban helped us find the mystery hero from the Delfi fire. Now, the full story of what Ayakha Godlwana did inside that burning building has emerged… and it is extraordinary.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (05 September 2026) – First, Durban helped us find him. Then we learnt his name. Now, we know a little more about what Ayakha Godlwana actually did inside the burning Delfi Greek Taverna and the story of this local chef has become one of the most incredible pieces of good news to emerge from an otherwise devastating few days.
Ayakha, 32, works at Palm Terrace Cafe, just a few properties away from Delfi in Windermere, and had no firefighting training when he learnt that 74-year-old Doddy Teranes was trapped upstairs as flames spread through the building. What he did have was a determination to help, and as Berea Mail first reported after Good Things Guy launched the search to find him, thick smoke forced him back several times before he eventually managed to reach her.
“At that moment I had no thoughts or fear, I just knew that I had to help after being told that there was an elderly woman inside,” Ayakha told Berea Mail.
Further reporting by IOL has since revealed more about just how dangerous the rescue was. Ayakha had never been inside the Teranes family home and could barely see through the smoke, so Maria helped him understand the layout of the building while Manuel gave him a hosepipe. After several attempts, Ayakha used the water to help make his way upstairs, calling out for Doddy until he heard her respond.
He encouraged her to crawl towards him, eventually reached her and carried her to safety. Ayakha told IOL that he used the hosepipe to help guide himself back through the smoke because he had become disoriented.
“I had to find my way back. I held onto the hose pipe to guide me out.”
IOL’s full interview with Ayakha reveals just how much more happened during those frantic minutes, including another frightening moment after the rescue when he went back into the restaurant because he was concerned about the fire reaching gas bottles. It is an extraordinary first-hand account and one worth reading in full.
What says the most about the man Durban spent hours searching for is how he described everything afterwards.
“I was happy to help and glad that nobody was injured,” he told Berea Mail.
They Came Home to Give Back and Found Their Calling in a Township Boxing Gym
There’s Care, Compassion and a Little Extra Love at Groote Schuur Hospital This OctoberAnd thankfully, that is the biggest piece of good news in all of this. Despite the scale of the blaze, Doddy was brought to safety and no fatalities or serious injuries were reported. Professional firefighters arrived to tackle an incredibly dangerous structural fire and the eThekwini Municipality says the blaze was brought under control in approximately 20 minutes.
There has also been another encouraging update for the Teranes family. The crowdfunding campaign launched by Linda Landzanakis and shared by Delfi to help the family after losing their restaurant, home and possessions has already reached over R23,000. The campaign is aiming to raise R300,000 as Doddy, Maria and Manuel begin figuring out what comes next.
The past few days have brought an enormous amount of loss but they have also brought people together in the most remarkable way. A chef from down the road stepped forward when somebody needed help, Durban rallied to find him, professional emergency crews fought to contain the blaze, strangers began donating to a family many of them have never met, and Ayakha finally got to stand outside Delfi with Doddy the following day and receive the thanks he never stopped to wait for.
by 
