GEORGE NEWS - Within hours of the collapse of the building, volunteers rallied in their numbers to assist emergency and rescue services with what could be described as one of the biggest disasters to ever hit George. 

Among those ordinary citizens were four men who didn't know each other from a bar of soap. However, under the most trying circumstances, sharing a tragic experience, these four individuals became friends for life. 

Armand Swanepoel, Jaco Hanekom, Francois Aucamp and Alfred Baillie were some of the first people on the site who offered their services as volunteers. "We were among other volunteers who were divided into groups," said Swanepoel. 

The location where the sniffer dogs indicated signs of life was a formidable six-layer concrete slab, approximately 3,5m thick, with a large number of people trapped underneath it. 

Swanepoel rushed over to the site after he was contacted by a friend for help on Monday afternoon. "I didn't know what to expect, but no one could prepare me for what I saw. We heard a building collapsed and being in the construction industry, it seemed obvious for me to see where I could help," he said. 

Swanepoel and other volunteers arrived at 15:30 when most people were not even aware of the incident or the magnitude thereof. They were divided into teams with assigned areas to work from. 

District Head of Metro Rescue, Richard Botha (second from the left) with a team of Metro emergency workers at the disaster site. Photo: Deidre Cloete

Working alongside their designated Metro and backup teams, these men tackled the challenging task of creating a large enough rescue hole using jackhammers, angle grinders, diamond-tip drills, and hydraulic metal cutters. When these tools proved insufficient, they resorted to using their bare hands and buckets. 

"The confined space allowed only two men to work at a time, and we had to rotate every 40 minutes," said Swanepoel. 

Signs of life

After about 12 hours of relentless demolition, they reached the first signs of life three metres down the ‘shaft’. According to Swanepoel, Baillie was able to free the first of the four trapped individuals, with the second person emerging just nine minutes later, after the hole was widened.

“The real challenge arose with the third person, who was trapped by the hips and ankles about one metre inside the hole. Francois [Aucamp] and I handled the delicate task of breaking down the surrounding rubble, while Jaco [Hanekom] and Alfie [Baillie] focused on clearing it away. 

"Dirk Barnard, the assigned light technician, frequently assisted with rubble removal and took turns operating the jackhammer,” Swanepoel recalls. The fourth person, trapped behind the third, was approximately 2,5m from the rescue hole and had his hips and one leg pinned. 

Aucamp and Hanekom took turns in one-hour shifts in extreme heat, lying on their sides to break debris with a jackhammer within the narrow 20 to 40cm gaps between the concrete slabs. 

This final phase of their operation alone took three hours. All four survivors were transported to hospital after being assessed by paramedics on the scene.

We all (still) stand together 

Swanepoel has always feared that George would become like Pretoria. “There no one cares about each other and everyone just minds their own business.” Now, however, he is backtracking on this thought. “I thought George was becoming like that. But this incident proved me wrong. Humanity still exists in George,” Swanepoel said with a smile. 

To Swanepoel, not only the saving of lives put a golden line around his cloud, but also knowing that he lives in a community that still cares about those around them. “Monday was great, but Tuesday was awesome when we heard voices. 

“Any sign of life was a great thing and making contact with people who were still alive was absolutely indescribable,” he said. 

A Metro Rescue member in one of the holes dug to find survivors.

“I’m not a fireman or an EMS worker, I’m not used to this; it’s not my job - I build pools. And that’s what makes it even more emotional when it comes to saving someone’s life. That moment you make contact with them, knowing you could possibly save their lives feels unreal.

"I was elated to hear them cry when they come out, knowing that they are alive and still able to cry. The EMS teams who worked with us were awesome. But even they said their experience couldn’t prepare them for what happened here.” 

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