For the men and women of the City of Ekurhulenis Aquatic Rescue Team, the mission to flood-ravaged Vhembe in Limpopo was not only about technical skill and bravery it was about giving grieving families closure.
This is the one thing many of them desperately sought when recent rains caused havoc, killing dozens of people in both Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Two of the rescuers who were deployed as part of the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre teams described a harrowing operation in treacherous, crocodile and hippo-infested waters, where extreme heat, fast-flowing currents and emotional community pressure tested their endurance and resolve.
