After reflecting on the most gruelling 28 hours of his life, a survivor of the multi-storey building that collapsed in George, Delvin Safers, 29, shared a special moment on Thursday with the two rescuers who saved him from a concrete grave.
Safers, an electrician by trade who lives in Mossel Bay, attended the presidential comfort visit to the collapsed building site on Victoria Street in George with his father, Deon Safers.
Safers, breadwinner and father of a two-year-old boy, said while he was still recovering from his injuries, he was grateful for his life.
Outside the George municipal building a personal and private moment was shared by Safers and the two SAPS search and rescue officers – Douglas Jones and Samuel Piet – who rescued him from the rubble last week.
“It was very scary, those hours waiting for help to come. I can’t explain how it happened but when I fell I knew I landed on my tummy.
“I don’t know how and when but I managed to then turn myself on my back. It was quiet for a long time, probably about two hours, before I heard some movements,” Safers said.
“At the time of the incident, I was on the third floor.
“There are a lot of questions at this time but mostly I am grateful I am alive but I also mourn for my colleagues. It cannot be that a building just collapses, there must be answers ... I was visited by a counsellor and was told that I can reach out any time for further support that I may need,” said Safers.
On Thursday evening, 10 days after the devastating collapse, the Garden Route Joint Operations Centre (JOC) and George municipality confirmed that there was no change in its statistics for the day as search and rescue operations continued.
The death toll remained 33. Currently, 19 people were still unaccounted for while 12 were hospitalised since the incident on May 6.
Family members of foreign nationals hailing from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho were at the site on Thursday.
One family member, who did not want to be named, said they were grieving their loved one and were grateful for the support provided by the various departments.
“It still hurts not having all the answers yet but we trust that all is being done so that the death is not in vain,” the family member said.
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said there were “big lessons to be learnt through this tragedy”.
“We have been assisting and supporting since the day the incident happened with psychosocial support, as we do in times of disaster.
“Victims and affected families have been assisted with bereavement services and counselling continues.
“On Thursday, we had a woman who was very distraught after losing her brother and they had to start the process of having him repatriated but there have been some delays and we have assisted with linking her to service providers.
“We know that it has been a gruelling time for families who are still awaiting answers for their loved ones but we are working closely with them and doing all we can to support,” said Zulu.
The SA Human Rights Commission was also supporting victims. Commissioner Chris Nissen said: “We convey our condolences to those who perished and those who are in hospital and those who survived.
“For now, we are looking at how we can support the efforts to retrieve bodies and give support to victims and families of victims.
“We are calling for a thorough investigation so that we can get to the bottom of the cause of the incident and that the families can get answers.
“We are also conducting investigations to make sure there were no violations of any sort.”
Cape Times