01/11/2026
https://web.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1424057503268671&set=a.477771124563985
Honouring the Legacy of the Padavatan Six: Heroes of the 1917 Umgeni River Flood
China Gangan
On October 28, 1917, torrential rains lashed Durban, causing the uMngeni River to breach its banks and unleashed a devastating wall of water across the Springfield Flats (then known as "Tin Town").
As sleep-deprived families clutched rooftops amidst raging torrents, official rescue efforts faltered under the river's sheer violent force. When authorities deemed the waters too hazardous to navigate, six fearless seine-net fishermen stepped forward to do what others could not.
​These men—remembered with deep reverence as the Padavatan Six—defied direct orders to stand down, launched a single wooden banana boat, and battled the surging floodwaters to pull 176 lives from the brink of disaster.
​The Six Volunteers
• ​Gangan Padavatan — A respected community leader, successful entrepreneur, and co-administrator of the Natal Indian Fishermen’s Association. His strength, unwavering courage, and commitment to his community on that historic day helped forge a legacy that endures through his direct descendants.
• ​Mariemuthoo Padavatan — Gangan’s younger brother and Chairman of the Natal Indian Fishermen’s Association, who helped organize the heroic rescue crew.
• ​Sabapathy Periyasamy Govender — A skilled boatbuilder whose seafaring mastery proved crucial in steering through debris-choked currents.
• ​Rungasamy Naidoo — An experienced fisherman whose tireless endurance at the oars kept the rescue craft steady against the brutal river currents.
• ​Kuppusamy Naidoo — Just 16 years old at the time, displaying bravery far beyond his years as he pulled desperate survivors from the water.
• ​T. Veloo — A master shrimper who provided the legendary banana boat (DNA 17) used to brave the turbulent uMngeni.
​A Legacy Written in Courage
​Making five harrowing trips back and forth through the treacherous floodwaters, four men rowed while two pulled men, women, children, and infants into the boat. Their selfless act remains one of the greatest civilian displays of bravery in South African history.
​Today, as we mark 109 years since that fateful day, we honour the memory of these extraordinary men. To carry the bloodline of Gangan Padavatan [my grandfather] is to share in a powerful heritage of resilience, selflessness, and valour. Their story endures as an inspiring reminder of what true heroism looks like.
China Gangan
[Grandson of Gangan Padavatan]
