Cape Town - Members of the Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) team responded to five incidents involving hikers this week.
In one incident, three foreign exchange students were stuck on a mountain peak.
On Tuesday, the team spent most of the night searching for the man and two woman students.
WSAR spokesperson David Nel said the students went up the Jonkershoek Pieke mountain early on Tuesday.
He said they started their hike at the Langrivier Kloof. Nel said that after they failed twice to hike back down using Venster Kloof and Nerina Kloof trails, they realised they would not be able to get down before dark and called for help.
“Rescuers were immediately dispatched to the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. Setting out in the dark, the team hiked up the trail in search of the stranded hikers who were able to describe their position, helping to narrow the search area.
“The gentleman and two ladies were located soon after midnight, and the team slowly guided them back to the start of the hike.
“Although tired, the three visiting students were reported to be in good spirits and very grateful to have been safely assisted down the mountain. All hikers and rescuers were safely off the mountain at 5.30am on Wednesday morning,” Nel said.
On Platteklip Gorge and India Venster hiking trail, two people, aged 72 and 41, were found suffering from cramps and could not continue with their hike.
In the case of the 72-year-old, he was attended to by a paramedic and helped up to the Table Mountain Aerial
On Venster, the 41-year-old man was hoisted into the Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness EMS/Air Mercy Services rescue helicopter and flown to a nearby landing zone.
“We have had a few really busy months, and while we urge all wilderness enthusiasts to take care, we want to remind everyone that there are teams of dedicated rescuers around the Western Cape ready to assist anyone who finds themselves in trouble while outdoors,” Nel said.