We’re not even halfway through April, and the heroes at WSAR have already hit the milestone of 100 rescues!
Cape Town, South Africa (15 April 2026) – One whole hundred. That’s the number of times this year that someone in trouble on a trail, a ravine, or a rocky ledge has called for help and received help from the committed Wilderness Search and Rescue heroes.
The big milestone was marked on Monday morning, when a 57-year-old hiker was found on Table Mountain after spending the night alone up there. She’d lost her way the afternoon before and by the time Members of Friends of Table Mountain located her the following morning, she’d been out there for hours. WSAR teams got her down safely and an ambulance was waiting at the bottom.
Every single month of 2026 has already exceeded the total incident count from December 2025 which is historically one of the WSAR’s busiest periods.
“Each month this year has exceeded the number of incidents we recorded in December 2025, traditionally one of our busiest periods.” says WSAR spokesperson David Nel. “It’s been an intense start to the year, and a clear reminder of how important preparation, awareness, and early action are in the outdoors.”
The good thing is that people are calling for help when they need it by having WSAR’s emergency number saved and knowing that when things aren’t right, there’s a network of committed heroes ready to jump into action.
We’ve reported on many of those saves made this year already.
In March, trail runner Stephanie Crossland was out on the mountain when she came across a tourist from Belgium who had collapsed near the base of Platteklip Gorge. Stephanie had attended a WSAR safety talk not long before and knew exactly what to do. She called the emergency number immediately, then pulled a space blanket from her running pack and used it to shield the woman from the heat until the rescue team arrived. The WSAR team cooled her down, and carried her out. One person who knew what to do made all the difference!
That same month, an elderly couple was found in serious trouble on a hiking route near Porterville during a heatwave. The 68-year-old husband was showing signs of heat-related illness by the time they called. A rescue helicopter was deployed, he was treated on scene and airlifted to safety, and his wife was flown out too. While the operation was underway, a second couple on the same route were found struggling and a medic hiked in to reach them. They were walked off the trail before things escalated.
The recent Easter weekend was a chapter on its own. There were four separate incidents over four days. A 63-year-old woman airlifted from Cape Point after a fall on the trail, four young hikers rescued by rope from a ravine in Jonkershoek after dark when they missed an exit point and found themselves on terrain they couldn’t reverse, a lone hiker hauled to safety from Blind Gully after ignoring trail signage in favour of a navigation app, and a UK visitor guided down via cable car after thick mist left him completely disoriented near the top of the mountain. Three of those four calls came in after dark. The teams responded to all of them!
Also, who could forget Sable, who made headlines across the country. The two-and-a-half-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer chased a dassie twenty metres up a cliff face at a quarry in Hillcrest and discovered, too late, that dassies are far better at scaling mountains than dogs. His owner found him stranded on a ledge and called it in. City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue, WSAR technical teams, and K9 Search and Rescue operators all responded. Sable was unimpressed until someone produced droëwors, at which point the whole thing was resolved relatively quickly. After quite a dramatic rescue, he was home in his comfy bed just after midnight.
Behind the number 100 are volunteers who got out of bed at 2am, paramedics who flew in at the drop of a hat, rangers who know every trail like the back of their hands, and world-class coordination that makes each operation a success.
“Reaching 100 incidents so early in the year is significant, but what stands out is the unwavering commitment of our rescuers. Our teams continue to respond, often in challenging conditions, with professionalism and care.” says Nel, adding: “From those who locate and assist in the field, to the coordinated response that follows, and the support behind the scenes. It is an honour to serve the outdoor communities of the Western Cape, alongside such dedicated and committed teams whose contributions, professionalism, and care make every operation possible.”
If you’re heading out on the trails, save the WSAR’s emergency number before you go! It’s 021 937 0300.
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