Pinned under a heap of rubble, surrounded by the cries of frightened and seriously injured co-workers and fighting for air amid the thick plume of dust.
It is an experience few can relate to unless they were part of the construction crew at the Victoria Street building site in George where an apartment block collapsed on Monday afternoon.
For one of the workers, Valdo Makamo, the memories are all too chilling.
The George resident was able to share his remarkable story on Wednesday, hours after his dramatic rescue from the heaps of debris.
Makamo was among 75 crew at the site of the five-storey apartment block when tragedy struck at about 2pm on Monday.
Speaking from his hospital bed at the George hospital, surrounded by family, Makamo said he thought he was going to die and had given up hope.
“I was on the second floor when it happened,” Makamo said. “It was very difficult for me to breathe and I started to lose hope. It felt like I was dying; that’s the feeling I had under all the stones and sand.”
Makamo said he was grateful to be one of those who had made it out alive.
“Relieved is the only way I can describe it. I saw my girl [his daughter] visiting me in the hospital and that gave me the strength to become better.”
As first responders engaged in a last-ditch effort to reach people trapped under the rubble, the death toll increased on Wednesday night, with at least eight people confirmed dead.
Thirty-seven workers had been rescued, with 16 in critical condition, six with life-threatening injuries, and seven with minor injuries.
Thirty-eight of the 75 workers who were on site remain unaccounted for.
Survivor Vuyokazi Singama said she was also on the second floor when the building collapsed.
“I’m glad that I was able to speak to my family and finally get out of that site. I’m now being treated for my wounds,” Singama said.
Mossel Bay resident Deon Safers said he had heard on the radio that the building had collapsed.
“My son [Delvin] was working in George and so when I heard on the radio news that a building in George had collapsed and that a lot of people were underneath the rubble, I ran to my wife and I told her that there had been an accident in George,” he said.
Shocked, they saw there was a message from Delvin’s employer.
“The employer said they were looking for Delvin Safers’ family urgently,” Safers said.
“We then made contact and they said we needed to go to George as a building had collapsed. I asked ‘Is my son dead?’ The employer said he was trapped and we had to go.”
We’ve got to ensure that we barricade the area because it is a crime scene and we have to treat it as one, but what was important for us is to make sure that lives are saved
— Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile, Western Cape police commissioner
Safers said they could not go as they had no transport.
“Delvin used our car to drive to George and back,” he said. “So his employer said we needed to book a car and he’d pay for it, which he did.”
He said when they arrived at 6.50pm on Monday the situation was chaotic.
“At the site, I was shocked and emotional. My wife then phoned and said Delvin had made contact through his phone. I just said to myself he will be OK.
“He switched his phone on and off to save battery life. I think he said it was on 22%, but he did keep his cousin informed when he switched it on. The rest of the day and night I waited for news.”
Safers said the next morning just after 6am, his cousin phoned him, saying Delvin had made contact again.
“In that voice note, he said he was feeling weak and switched off his phone again. Later in the early afternoon we heard from him again.= And then just after 4pm, rescue workers told me they had spotted him and were giving him water and would retrieve him shortly.
“Not long thereafter, he was rushed to the clinic and we followed them. When we arrived at the clinic, we waited and waited and then finally saw him. He had wounds on his head, face, legs. I was overjoyed to see him. He can open his eyes, he can talk to us, he can tell me that he’s tired.
“I told him, ‘Delvin, we know you are tired and you come from hell, but be strong, stand strong. We are glad you are out there’. He will be discharged over the weekend.”
Western Cape MEC Anton Bredell said on Wednesday: “We must understand that every hour counts, and the rescue team comprehends this. However, it’s a dangerous site, and so, according to international standards, 48 hours equate to three days.
“We will make the call to switch to recovery mode tomorrow [Thursday] morning. For today and tonight, it will still be rescue operations. Though we don’t have contact with people, we still have hope.
“We have moved the operations to the rear, having rescued the 11 people with whom we were communicating. Due to the lack of contact, we decided to relocate to the rear.”
Western Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile said their rescue team had joined the operation.
“We’ve got to ensure that we barricade the area because it is a crime scene and we have to treat it as one, but what was important for us is to make sure that lives are saved,” Patekile said.
“We need to make sure that we control the area so that is where we are now.”
Speaking from the scene, Stellenbosch University structural engineer Prof Richard Walls said first responders were navigating difficult conditions.
“At one stage, we had to evacuate people from the area where the structure was moving for about 24 hours,” he said.
“Initially, we were relatively stable, but now we’re dealing with large amounts of concrete that need to be broken through to access the trapped individuals.
“The challenge we’re facing is the extensive demolition work required and the limitations of the available tools, resulting in a slow process.
“Additionally, the workers are navigating difficult conditions, balancing on angled slabs.
“We encountered a situation where the slabs began to shift, leading to a significant crack opening up.
“This prompted the activation of emergency response teams. Currently teams have been withdrawn from that area for safety reasons.”
Walls said alternative strategies were being explored to provide access and work would continue in the areas where possible.
“This operation extends far beyond simple search-and-rescue efforts, necessitating the use of small equipment to access areas now obstructed by tonnes of debris. Larger equipment is being mobilised to aid in these efforts and we will strive to co-ordinate our actions systematically.
“The teams on site are exerting tremendous effort, considering numerous alternatives. However, due to the paramount importance of ensuring the safety of the operating teams, the manner in which operations are conducted is constantly evolving to prioritise worker safety.”
Meanwhile, the George local municipality said a specialised asbestos removal company had been tasked with deconstructing the old parking structure at the back of the site.
“This structure is not a part of the new development that was under construction. This is to aid access for rescue operations which continue at the building collapse site on Victoria Street,” it said.
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