Warrant Officer Michael Daniels and Costable Emile Farao have been awarded for going out of their way to rescue Denzil Daniels driving 1700km.
Cape Town, South Africa – Denzil Daniels went missing six years ago from his home in Delft. His mother was left distraught and never gave up her search; in 2016 they held a memorial for him as they believed he had passed away.
Then just a few weeks ago Denzil was found 1700km away in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland. Warrant Officer Michael Daniels received a call from the Eswatini police informing him they had found a homeless man digging through the bins. After searching him, they found an address written on a piece of paper. The address was Denzil’s home address in Delft.
Constable Emile Farao and Warrant Officer Michael Daniels work in the missing person unit. They called Denzil’s mother to inform her that he had been found. Jane Daniels was overjoyed that her son had been found alive.
Officer Michael Daniels knew that Jane didn’t have the means to get Denzil home. He and Constable Emile came up with a plan to help the family reunite. The guys started to raise funds for a road trip to go collect Denzil from Eswatini.
A local pastor heard of their efforts and assisted them in planning everything. Pastor Charles George is the chairperson of the Delft community policing forum and gladly assisted with the family reunion. Gift of the Givers also stepped in to help cover travel and accommodation costs of the trip.
Once the money was raised the officers along with Jane and a close family friend set off on the 1700km trip to pick up Denzil.
Michael volunteered his car for the journey. The next day mother and son were reunited after six years. They then returned to Delft and Denzil was admitted to Eerste River Hospital for observation.
The officers received awards in recognition of their commitment to their work and for “helping to build relationships with the community they serve”.
Officer Michael has committed to staying close to the family and visits Denzil when he is free. He hopes to maintain a friendship with him. Talking about his award with News24, he said he felt so proud that it inspired the community.
“It was a privilege to be there. When the premier introduced us and called for us to stand, people clapped so long, it felt like 20 minutes. We were so proud.”
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