27/07/2026
The Heart of the Search
When the Waters Receded
On the evening of 11 April 2022, the rain began to fall across KwaZulu-Natal with an intensity few people had ever experienced. At first, it was simply another autumn storm, but as darkness settled over the province the rain became relentless. Through the night it hammered roofs, overflowed gutters and swelled rivers already carrying the weight of previous downpours. By the morning of the 12th April, the landscape had begun to change before people's eyes. Roads disappeared beneath raging water, hillsides collapsed without warning and rivers burst their banks, carrying away everything that stood in their path. As the rain continued into 13 April, entire communities found themselves caught in one of the worst natural disasters South Africa has ever known.
When the skies finally cleared, they revealed a province that no longer looked like the one people had gone to sleep in only days before.
Homes that had stood for generations had been reduced to broken timber and twisted sheets of corrugated iron. Vehicles lay overturned in places where streets had once been. Bridges had vanished, landmarks had disappeared beneath mud and debris. For thousands of families the destruction was almost impossible to comprehend. Everything they owned had been washed away in a matter of hours.
As the country watched the unfolding tragedy, attention naturally focused on the immense humanitarian response. Emergency services rescued people trapped by floodwaters, helicopters winched survivors from rooftops and community halls quickly filled with donations of food, blankets and clothing. Volunteers travelled from every corner of South Africa to help clear roads, remove debris and support families who had lost everything. It was a remarkable display of compassion and resilience, reminding us once again of how South Africans come together in times of unimaginable hardship.
Yet behind the headlines was another story that unfolded far more quietly.
For many families, the disaster had not ended when the rain stopped. Somewhere beneath the mud, tangled vegetation and debris were people who had not yet been found. Husbands and wives, parents and children, neighbours and friends had simply vanished. Some had been swept from their homes in the darkness. Others had disappeared while trying to escape rising water. Every passing day deepened the uncertainty, leaving families caught between hope and heartbreak.
It was at this point that South Africa's Search and Rescue teams began the work that few people would ever see.
Long after television crews had moved on to report on damaged infrastructure and relief efforts, specialist Search and Rescue teams continued returning to the flood zones each morning. Their work was not measured in headlines or dramatic rescues. It was measured in patience, perseverance and an unwavering commitment to families who deserved answers.
Every deployment began before sunrise. Vehicles were loaded while the rest of the province was still asleep. Search equipment was checked, radios tested and safety briefings completed before teams made their way back into areas that remained unstable weeks after the floodwaters had begun to recede. Alongside their handlers travelled the Search and Rescue dogs, eager to begin another day of work, unaware of the grief that surrounded them but completely focused on the task they had been trained to do.
Searching after a flood bears little resemblance to the searches most people imagine. Rivers change their course, carrying debris for kilometres before depositing it in enormous tangled piles of trees, roofing, vehicles and household belongings. Entire homes can disappear beneath metres of silt, leaving almost nothing to suggest that families had once lived there. Every search area must be approached methodically because rushing only increases the risk of overlooking the smallest clue. The unstable ground presents dangers of its own, with hidden sinkholes, collapsing riverbanks and shifting debris constantly threatening the safety of those working among it.
It is painstaking work that demands extraordinary patience.
The search dogs move through this environment with a quiet confidence that never fails to inspire those fortunate enough to watch them work. Guided entirely by scent, they weave through debris fields, climb over fallen trees and carefully investigate areas that seem impossible for the human eye to interpret. Their handlers walk close behind, reading every subtle change in behaviour that years of partnership have taught them to recognise. A slight hesitation, an unexpected turn or a return to one particular area may be enough to redirect an entire search operation. These are moments that often pass unnoticed by everyone else, yet they can provide the first real indication that someone has finally been found.
Not every deployment ends with the joy of rescuing a survivor.
As the days became weeks, many of the searches evolved into recovery operations. It is perhaps one of the least understood aspects of Search and Rescue. While the public naturally celebrates lives saved, much of the work carried out by these remarkable men, women and dogs is dedicated to something equally important: bringing loved ones home. Recovery may not carry the same sense of celebration as a rescue, but for families who have spent days living with uncertainty, it provides something they desperately need. It brings answers where there had only been questions, allowing them to begin grieving with certainty instead of continuing to search with hope alone.
No amount of experience makes those moments any easier.
Among the many courageous people who answered the call during the KwaZulu-Natal floods was Sergeant Busisiswe "Busi" Mjwara, an experienced SAPS Search and Rescue diver respected throughout the province for her professionalism and unwavering commitment to helping others. During operations near Henley Dam, tragedy struck when Sergeant Mjwara lost her life in the line of duty while searching for others. In the desperate efforts to save her, K9 Leah, a Search and Rescue dog from the Durban SAPS K9 Unit, instinctively entered the water alongside rescuers. Leah also lost her life.
Their sacrifice sent shockwaves through the Search and Rescue community because it served as a painful reminder that those who respond to disasters willingly place themselves in danger so that others may have answers. Every deployment carries risks that most people never see, yet these teams continue to answer the call because they understand that somewhere there is always another family waiting, hoping that someone will not give up searching.
Perhaps that is what remains most remarkable about the floods of April 2022.
Not only the scale of the devastation, but the extraordinary determination shown by those who refused to walk away once the headlines faded. Day after day they returned to riverbanks, collapsed buildings and mountains of debris because every person mattered. Every search mattered. Every family mattered.
That quiet determination is the true heart of Search and Rescue.
At Brenda's Angels, this story resonates more deeply than we can adequately express. Our organisation was born from our own family's experience of waiting for answers after losing our mom, Brenda Scriven, during the KwaZulu-Natal floods of 2016. We know the unbearable weight of uncertainty and the comfort that comes from knowing complete strangers are doing everything within their power to bring someone home. We understand that Search and Rescue is not defined only by dramatic rescues or miraculous outcomes. It is defined by compassion, perseverance and the promise that no family will ever be forgotten simply because the search has become difficult.
The KwaZulu-Natal floods of April 2022 reminded South Africa of the incredible resilience that exists within our communities, but they also reminded us of something equally important. Behind every Search and Rescue uniform is a person who has chosen to carry the burden of another family's grief, and beside many of those men and women walks a remarkable dog whose only purpose is to keep searching until there is nothing left to search.
Long after the floodwaters disappeared and life slowly returned to normal for much of the country, those teams were still there. They continued searching because they understood something that every family waiting for news already knew: hope does not disappear when the rain stops.
It endures for as long as someone is willing to keep looking.
This week's Heart of the Search is dedicated to every Search and Rescue handler, volunteer, emergency worker, diver and K9 who served during the KwaZulu-Natal floods of April 2022, and in memory of Sergeant Busisiswe "Busi" Mjwara and K9 Leah, whose courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Brenda's Canine Fund is a registered NPC. Section 18A tax certificates are available for qualifying donations.
3 easy ways to donate:
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https://brendasangels.co.za/products/support-the-fund...
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Banking details:
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