Former Miss SA Kerishnie Naiker Recalls Nearly Flying to New York on 9/11
- Former Miss SA Kerishnie Naiker shared a personal account of how close she came to being in New York on 11 September 2001
- Naiker had been working at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durban before her planned trip to the US
- She watched the tragedy unfold on a television screen at Durban airport as all flights to America were cancelled
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Source: Getty Images
Former Miss South Africa Kerishnie Naiker sent Mzansi into a reflective mood after sharing a deeply personal story about how a last-minute decision kept her from flying to New York on the day of the 9/11 attacks. On 12 September 2026, marking 25 years since the tragedy, she took to Facebook to open up about that life-altering moment.
Naiker had spent nearly two weeks in Durban working as part of an international television crew at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, held at the Durban International Convention Centre from 31 August 2001. Her director, Waymer Johnson, had flown in from Washington DC, and Naiker was conducting interviews for a documentary commissioned by Gay McDougall. When the conference wrapped up, her American colleagues were scheduled to fly to New York on 11 September 2001. Naiker had originally planned to join them, but chose at the last moment to spend a few extra days in Durban with her mother before making the trip.
What unfolded next changed the world.
Watching history from Durban Airport
Naiker accompanied her colleagues and security staff to King Shaka International Airport to see them off. It was there, watching television screens in the terminal, that she witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania unfold in real time. All flights to America were immediately cancelled. "It was surreal," she wrote, describing the moment she and those around her processed what they were seeing.
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She noted that roughly 3,000 people lost their lives when hijackers crashed planes into those targets on that September morning. "Thousands of lives and families changed forever on this day 25 years ago," she wrote. "Let's honour all who transitioned and the many heroes who faced danger to save others. This day will always carry immense weight."
Her Facebook post was set to the haunting melody of Dolly Parton's Amazing Grace, adding a sombre, reflective tone to an already emotional tribute.
Mzansi reflects on the weight of that day
Reactions to Naiker's post were equally sombre, with followers sharing their own memories and reflections of the day the world shifted.
Jonathan Redhi wrote: "We will always remember that day, and those that gave their lives to save others."
Mikhail Peppas captured the collective sense of loss with a list of what changed: "Everything. The world changed forever. From innocence to suspicion. Reactive to proactive. A change of life. A twin collapse. The war on terror. Nothing was the same again."
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Source: Briefly News
