Gift of the Givers has released the names of the six South Africans missing after the Nepal-Tibet floods. One mother is anxious but holding out hope, saying her daughter ‘is a fighter’.
Linda Govender, whose daughter Terricia Govender is one of six South Africans missing after the Nepal-Tibet floods, said her family is holding on to hope as they wait for news about her.
Terricia (33) from Isipingo Beach, KwaZulu-Natal, was last known to be travelling with the Isha Foundation on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route near the Nepal-Tibet border at the time of the flash flood and mudslide.
The devastating flash floods and landslides on Wednesday, 26 August, have claimed at least 547 lives, with 977 people still missing, according to some news reports. Gift of the Givers released the names of the six South Africans on Friday.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation was unable to comment on the situation at the time of writing.
Terricia left for her pilgrimage on 12 August.
“Today she was supposed to come home,” her mother told Daily Maverick on Friday, holding back tears.
Terricia celebrated her 33rd birthday on 20 August, while on the pilgrimage. Linda said her daughter had been particularly excited to have met spiritual leader Sadhguru and received his blessing on her way back from Mount Kailash.
“She went to him, she got his blessings, and then they were coming back, and the last I spoke to Terricia, she was in the town of Kerung.”
Linda said she and Terricia spent about four hours on a video call on Wednesday, shopping together from afar. Both mother and daughter were browsing shops, with Terricia showing her mother items she was considering buying and gifts she intended to bring home for relatives.
Linda joked to Terricia that she should not spend all her money too quickly, as there were likely to be many more beautiful things to see in Nepal.
“When I spoke to Terricia, it must have been about 11 am where she was. She told me, ‘Mommy, when I reach Nepal, I’ll call you, and we can do more shopping’,” Linda recalled.
The floods have been linked to a glacier collapse, which occurred just after 8.30am on Wednesday. Around 9.45am, Linda tried calling her daughter, but there was no answer. This didn’t concern her as she initially thought Terricia may have lost network coverage.
Then, at about 2.30pm, Linda noticed an email from the Isha Foundation
“When I opened that email, I knew it was bad news. Terricia was in trouble,” she said, audibly distraught.
A few members of the Govender family are now making plans to travel to Nepal.
“I want to be close to the area she is in,” Linda said.
She said the family had received significant support and communication from Flight Centre and the Isha Foundation. The foundation has advised the family to remain in South Africa for now, until conditions in Nepal stabilise.
Linda says the widely circulated footage of the devastation has made the situation difficult to comprehend and has left her anxious as she awaits answers.
“When you look at the videos on social media, on TV, and when you see what happened… all that water just came gushing down. It really tells us a different story,” she said.
“But I don’t want to even imagine that. I am just praying and hoping that my daughter comes home.”
“She is out there and she’s very strong. She’s a great thinker, you know? She’s a fighter. I’m hoping that she will do whatever it takes to actually survive this.”
Here’s what we know about the six South Africans who are currently missing after the floods.
The 33-year-old from Isipingo Beach, KwaZulu-Natal, was last known to be travelling with the Isha Foundation on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route near the Tibet-Nepal (Gyrirong) border at the time of the flash flood and mudslide.
The 43-year-old, from KuGompo (formerly East London), had been travelling with Kailash Journeys between Timure and the Rasuvaghadi border at the time of the flood.
Husband and wife Vivaganathan Pillay (66) and Janet Pillay (56), from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, were travelling with the Alpine Eco Trek and Expedition group.
Husband and wife Surendranath Maharaj (74) and Anitha Devi Maharaj (67) from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, were last known to be travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route near the Tibet-Nepal (Gyrirong) border at the time of the flash floods and mudslide.
Gift of the Givers published contact details for relatives of four of the six missing persons for anyone to call in with any information they might have on the missing South Africans.
“As search and rescue efforts intensify, we have placed an 11-member team of urban and water search specialists on standby, ready to assist should they be deployed,” Gift of the Givers said.
“Our thoughts remain with those missing and their families as rescue teams continue the search.”
It added that the Nepalese authorities had published a list of people rescued, but so far there were no South Africans among them.
News agencies reported that rescue operations in Nepal and Tibet, resumed on Thursday in areas devastated by flash flooding, after a pause sparked by fears a barrier lake could unleash another deluge. CNN reported that China’s first professional rescue team finally reached Gyirong port, the area most affected by catastrophic landslides, which have been described as “liquid concrete”.
It also said that at least 538 people had been killed in Nepal, according to authorities. Several hundred foreign pilgrims and tourists are among at least 1,300 people unaccounted for.
“CNN teams have witnessed devastated neighbourhoods and families’ anguish as they learned the worst news of their loved ones from lists and photos on a morgue wall.” DM
