“Great Piloting”: SA Praises Helicopter Rescue After Hiker Survives Freezing Night on Rhino Peak

• A 24-year-old hiker became stranded on a snow-filled gully above Mashai Pass after taking a wrong turn on Rhino Peak
• He spent a night alone in sub-zero temperatures and was unable to communicate his exact location to rescuers
• A large overnight search involving MCSA Search and Rescue, rangers and security teams combed the Southern Drakensberg

A young hiker spent a harrowing night alone on a snow-covered mountain after losing his way on Rhino Peak in the Southern Drakensberg on 3 August 2026.

The 24-year-old had successfully reached the summit but took a wrong turn on his descent, veering off Rhino Ridge too early. He found himself trapped on a small knoll inside a steep, snow-filled gully above Mashai Pass, in temperatures well below zero. He called for help after several attempts to free himself failed, but could not pinpoint his exact location for rescuers.

A night of searching in sub-zero conditions

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With his position uncertain, a large search team assembled at the Garden Castle ranger station that evening. The group included members of the Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue, Ezemvelo field rangers and local security companies. They searched through the night with little to go on, guided only by a faint light spotted high on the southern face of Rhino Peak.

By the early hours of 4 August, a helicopter was cleared to fly, and more technical team members equipped for winter climbing joined the operation. The hiker was eventually located and brought down to the Garden Castle ranger station, where he was treated for hypothermia and frostbite on his toes before being transported to hospital.

Drakensberg winter conditions caught hiker off guard

The Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue shared details of the rescue on Facebook on 5 August 2026, describing the conditions the hiker endured as severe. The Southern Drakensberg in winter can be brutally unforgiving, with snow, ice and rapidly dropping temperatures making navigation and self-rescue extremely difficult once a hiker leaves the main trail.

The operation highlighted the critical role of coordinated mountain rescue teams in remote, high-altitude environments where a single wrong turn can quickly become life-threatening.

Watch the Facebook video below:

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More South Africans rescued from situations

• The South African government sounded the alarm over fraudulent job advertisements being used to lure victims into human trafficking schemes.
• A group was trapped inside a stalled elevator at The Zone Rosebank shopping centre for 45 minutes.
• An anonymous tip-off led to the rescue of two elderly brothers allegedly exploited by their caregiver in Malengezi, south of Durban.

Source: Briefly News