SA Rescue - Out Alive

A packed beach. A sudden rip current. And in seconds, dozens of people are in trouble. In this episode of SA Rescue: Out Alive, two Durban lifeguards take you inside the moments that change everything. Sisanda Mvuyana relives a mass rescue at North Beach in December 2022, when a powerful current swept bathers out to sea and more than 20 rescuers raced to pull people back. Jabulile Ndlovu shares the intensity of her first real rescue, battling a strong rip current while trying to keep a panicking swimmer alive. These are the decisions that happen in seconds. The moments where training, instinct and courage collide. Both women are part of Lifesaving South Africa, the organisation behind the country’s network of trained lifesavers working to prevent drownings and protect beachgoers. This episode is a powerful reminder of the ocean’s unpredictability, and the people who run toward danger when everyone else is trying to escape it. *** This episode is dedicated to Lifesaving South Africa and the thousands of volunteer lifesavers who give their time to protect others. Their work is measured in seconds, in decisions under pressure, and in lives that continue because they were there.

A fisherman paddling along the Umgeni River hears desperate shouting. The voice isn’t coming from the water or the riverbank. It’s coming from high above, on the girders of Durban’s Connaught Bridge, where a man has somehow become trapped. With the man stranded near the middle of a pillar and no easy way to reach him, rescuers are forced into a complex recovery operation. This episode tells the story of the dramatic Connaught Bridge rescue in 2017. * Note: This episode is dedicated to rescue officer Paul Herbst who passed away in 2023, and is remembered for his dedication to helping others.

Two climbers were on the summit of a mountain near the KwaZulu-Natal border when a violent storm rolled in. Their ropes jammed 30 metres into their descent. Temperatures dropped. And getting down became far more dangerous than getting up. As darkness closed in, they were left stranded high on the rock face, with no clear way to safety. * SA Rescue: Out Alive is researched, written and narrated by East Coast Radio Newswatch journalists Natarah Nadesan and Dineo Mphahlele, and produced by the East Coast Radio team. This episode honours the volunteer rescuers of the Mountain Club of South Africa, who respond when lives hang in the balance. New episodes release every second Wednesday. Mountain Club of South Africa website

You may remember the headlines. You may not know what really happened. SA Rescue: Out Alive, hosted by Newswatch anchors Natarah Nadesan and Dineo Mphahlele, revisits real South African rescues and tells the story in full. Through interviews, research and sound design, each episode brings you closer to the people who were there. Season 1 launches 25 February 2026. Follow now.