Missing Table Mountain Hiker Wayne Barnard’s Body Found After Search Operation
- Wayne Barnard, 46, was reported missing after going on a solo hike up Table Mountain on Wednesday, 16 September
- His wife Lauren said he last made contact at 11:05 am when he shared his live location and a photo from the mountain
- Police and rescue teams discovered a body late Thursday, with formal identification and a postmortem still underway
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CAPE TOWN — A body believed to be that of missing Table Mountain hiker Wayne Barnard, 46, was discovered late on Thursday by police and rescue teams following an overnight search operation.
Barnard was last in contact with his wife, Lauren, at 11:05 am on Wednesday, 16 September, when he sent her his live location and a photograph from Table Mountain. After that, his phone went unanswered and could not be reached, prompting authorities to launch a search.
Lauren Barnard speaks out
Speaking to CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, Lauren described her husband as someone who routinely kept in touch during hikes, always sharing his live location and pictures. She noted that while Wayne had climbed Table Mountain numerous times before, Wednesday's outing was his first solo hike on the mountain.
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"He is a tour guide here in Cape Town, and he has been on top of Table Mountain more times than I can count, so he knows the mountain very well," Lauren said.
Search efforts were launched on Wednesday and resumed at first light on Thursday morning before the body was located later that evening.
Identification and postmortem underway
Formal identification of the body had not yet been completed at the time of publication. A postmortem examination has been scheduled to establish the cause of death.
Hiker found dead on Helderberg Nature Reserve
In similar news, a search operation in Somerset West ended in heartbreak after the body of a young man, Itumeleng Mekoa, was found in the Helderberg Nature Reserve. The discovery, reported on 11 July 2026, brought a multi-day rescue effort to a close, though the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.
Mekoa was reported missing after his last known communication, recorded at around 15:00 on 6 July. Tracking data placed him approximately 6.6 kilometres into the reserve, near the Helderberg Dome. An earlier location signal was logged at 13:48, though it could not be confirmed whether he had continued towards the summit. A missing persons case was registered at the Somerset West police station on 7 July, prompting an immediate search.
US hiker found on Devils Peak
Previously, Briefly News reported that a 20-year-old woman from North Carolina was found dead on a hiking trail on Devil’s Peak. Brook Cheuvront's body was recovered by an EMS helicopter a day after she went missing. Taking to Facebook, Brook’s father, Steve, confirmed that his daughter was found dead, adding that they were devastated by the news.
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Source: Briefly News
