Amos Ndlovu has been hailed a hero globally after he braved raging waters to rescue a dog that had been swept away and stranded on rocks below a dam wall.
Champagne Valley, South Africa (26 January 2021) – Amos Ndlovu’s story has been shared around the world, from local papers to international ones like the Daily Mail and The Mirror and several international foreign language platforms. This is the South African heroes story.
Amos Ndlovu is a gardener in Champagne Valley in KwaZulu-Natal. He was busy cutting the grass when the neighbour came rushing to ask for his help to rescue a dog that was washed into a raging causeway and was about to be washed over the dam wall.
James Stewart, 65, was walking with his wife Stella, 65 along the Bell Park Dam when they saw Scamp the dog running to cross the causeway after his owner. Scamp was quickly swept up by the current and down the raging river.
As James was so close to home, he rushed to grab a rope and saw Amos cutting the grass next door. He screamed for help and Amos went running to help. Amos quickly volunteered to be the one to head into the water and wrapped the rope around his wrist.
Holding the rope tightly, Amos bravely made his way across the forming rapids to get to Scamp who had been washed over the dam wall and thankfully had found some safety on a collection of flat rocks just below the dam wall.
Amos made his way over to Scamp, soothed him with calming words and scooped him up. Amos then carefully walked his way back to the shoreline where James was holding onto the rope to keep him safe.
Stella filmed the entire rescue and shared it online where it went viral. In an interview with Daily Mail, Stella confirmed that the rescue was incredibly dangerous and at any moment, Amos could have been severely injured or even killed.
‘I know that dam well and I knew just one slip and Amos would be dead.
‘If he went over the edge in that torrent if he was not smashed to death on the 100-metre drop the other side then he would have got jammed under a rock and drowned.
‘My heart was in my mouth but I carried on recording anyhow and every single second seemed like a minute as he carried the dog closer and closer to the safety of the bank.” – Stella Stewart
Amos is a dog lover and has two of his own dogs, so he didn’t hesitate for a second to save Scamp.
‘I have two dogs myself and know dogs well and could tell by the way this one was crying and barking that he just wanted to be saved and needed a bit of help.
‘Once he was safe in my arms he trusted me and didn’t struggle which made it easier but I was just concentrating on not losing my footing and going over into the floodwater.
‘I know if I had slipped into the water it would have been the end for me but I was determined to save this dog’s life and I felt confident that I could get us both to safety.
‘However when I handed him to James and got out and tried to give him a pat he only went and tried to bite me!’ – Amos Ndlovu
The rescue took around 5 minutes, you can watch Stella’s video below.
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