A week after a young father and weightlifting champ Slade van der Walt vanished into the sea at Strand Beach, his family is pleading for boats and specialist equipment to help search offshore.
The 22-year-old from Belhar disappeared on Wednesday, 2 Septembern2026, after being swept out by a rip current while attempting to help someone in distress.
With no sign of Slade, his family has now mobilised volunteers of the community to help search a wide stretch of coastline.
Family spokesperson Caitlyn Hoedemaker said relatives have already searched areas including Strand, Gordon’s Bay, Simon’s Town and Macassar.
“On Wednesday afternoon, our focus as the group was Macassar. We also had family out in Strand, Gordon’s Bay and Simon’s Town.
“Our main focus is the Gordon’s Bay, Strand, Macassar, Monwabisi and Mnandi stretch, ” she said.
Hoedemaker said family members would continue searching, with a group planning to be at the beach from about 5.30pm on Thursday.
But she said the family desperately needs access to resources that would allow them to search verder out at sea.
“We are pleading for any help with water resources,” she said.
“The police went out with their drones but they aren’t doing this every day. Searching the beach is like only searching for something washed up and we have more hope than that.”
“We need resources to give us the ability to go out to sea and look. Any help from the public and contacts to assist us would be appreciated.”
The family is appealing to people and organisations with properly equipped boats, qualified divers, marine search teams, sonar equipment, drones, helicopters or other suitable search-and-rescue resources to come forward.
Hoedemaker stressed that the family does not want untrained people putting themselves in danger.
She added: “We are not asking people to put themselves in danger or conduct unauthorised searches. We are asking for qualified people and organisations with the equipment and expertise to help extend the search.”
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon confirmed on Wednesday that police divers remain involved in the search.
“It is an ongoing search operation and the whole coastline area around [Strand] are being covered,” he said.
Image: Caitlyn Hoedemaker
Slade is a former South African and Western Province weightlifting champion, as well as a young father and beloved son, brother and friend.
At the 2019 African Youth and Junior Championships, he won three gold medals in the youth division and three silver medals in the junior division.
He was also crowned South African Youth Weightlifting Champion in 2019.
In 2021, Van der Walt was named Best Youth Male at the Western Province Championships.
His family says they are determined to continue looking for him.
“We are asking news and radio platforms to help us amplify this appeal so that the people who may have the resources to assist can find us,” Hoedemaker said.
“Every hour matters to this family.”
“We are not giving up on Slade.”
