Latest news with #AirMercyServices
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Off-duty Mandeni policewoman killed in suspected murder-suicide attempt
Less than a minute The North Coast Courier Less than a minute An off-duty female Saps member was shot and killed in Mangethe, near Mandeni, this morning. The shooting happened as part of a suspected murder-suicide attempt, given a man was found shot and critically injured nearby. The man was airlifted by an Air Mercy Services helicopter to a specialist hospital after being stabilised by attending paramedics. Police will investigate the shooting. Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
02-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Tania Morkel raises funds for Wilderness Search and Rescue team that saved her life
Tania Morkel standing on top of Table Mountain on her 40th hike up. Rondebosch resident, Tania Morkel, 65, is scaling Table Mountain multiple times to raise money for the Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) that saved her life after she fell while hiking Table Mountain 18 months ago. Morkel has been running the fundraising campaign since the end of March, dubbed 64x64 Table Mountain Ascents, where she ascends Table Mountain 64 times to raise funds. 'As I slowly regained my strength over the following months, I felt a deep desire to give back to WSAR, the team that was instrumental in saving my life in the initial stages,' she said. Morkel said the team of WSAR consist mostly of volunteers who do rescues outside their busy work schedules, in tough conditions and pay for their own uniforms and equipment. She is also raising funds for Table Mountain National Park, which she hopes will enhance footpaths and signage to inform hikers of potential dangers. In September 2023, Morkel and her niece, Sita Poole, were hiking up Table Mountain, taking part in the 13 Peaks challenge, when on the contour path towards Platteklip Gorge, the ground collapsed and she fell 18 metres down a ravine. While her niece called for help, an Austrian nurse who was hiking nearby, rushed to help her. The WSAR team arrived first. They stabilised her and called Air Mercy Services to evacuate her by helicopter. A conservationist by profession, Morkel sustained multiple injuries, which included a fractured skull, a brain haemorrhage, vertebrae fractures, all left ribs broken, a punctured lung, her back pushed into scoliosis on impact, her spleen and kidney lacerated and a damaged liver. She managed to make a full recovery and was able to resume hiking up Table Mountain four months after the accident. While doing the fundraising challenge, she revisited an area close to where she fell. 'With the help of my trauma counsellor, I was able to work through it and could continue with new insight and peace of mind. I've loved almost every moment on the mountain, even though I have faced some external setbacks and exhaustion at times,' she said. WSAR, in a statement shared on its Facebook page, described Morkel's efforts as "herculean" after she made a massive recovery. The WSAR congratulated Morkel on her climbs and thanked her for her generosity and support. So far, Morkel has managed to ascend Table Mountain 48 times, getting closer to the goal of 64, and has managed to raise over R74 000 on the Givengain fundraising platform. If you would like to support Morkel's fundraising initiative, visit
