One month on and search for Slade continues

2 October marks one month since 22-year-old Slade Van Der Walt disappeared at Strand Beach, and he is yet to be found.

On 2 September, he and another man were assisting someone in difficulty in the water when they were caught in rip currents.

The body of the 39-year-old man from Mfuleni washed ashore the following day, but there remains no sign of Van Der Walt.

ALSO READ: Search for continues for 22-year-old Slade Van Der Walt – Smile 90.4FM

His family remains hopeful they will find him.

Van der Walt’s cousin, Caitlyn Hoedemaker, told SmileFM that family, friends and members of the community have continued searching along the coastline from Gordon’s Bay through Strand and Macassar to Muizenberg and even to Hermanus.

She said people have come forward to offer boats and a drone to assist in the search, for which the family is very grateful, adding that funds raised through the family’s BackaBuddy campaign have helped pay for additional resources.

“I do believe we are putting our best foot forward, but you know, there’s always more we can do and for a family looking for a missing person, enough is never gonna be enough until you find him,” Hoedemaker said.

She said boats had also been used during the past two weeks, while the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and police divers have continued assisting the family, having most recently done a full-day search on Wednesday.

Hoedemaker noted that another full-day search involving divers is planned for the first weekend of October.

“We are having a full day search from 09:00 starting at Gordon’s Bay. We have a team going out with a team of divers, so they will be diving for the full day and we are really, really hoping that Sunday will be the day,” she said.

Hoedemaker said the family remains determined to find Van der Walt despite the lack of success so far.

“It has honestly been a devastating experience and very tragic experience, that’s happened to Slade. We have very high hopes, and we are still pushing to find him. That’s still our main goal,” she said, adding that his parents are trying to remain optimistic.

Meanwhile, Van Der Walt’s partner, Jordan-Lee Isacks, told SmileFM that her life and the life of daughter, Shyla, has changed drastically since the day of his disappearance.

Isaaks said the family had been preparing for their daughter’s first school concert on 2 September when Van der Walt’s sister called her to tell her what had happened.

“That’s exactly when it felt like my life ended. It’s almost like there was a life before the phone call and now a life after,” Isaaks said.

Isaaks said her heart breaks thinking about their child’s future without her father.

“Slade became a dad at a very young age, but he embraced that role with everything inside of him. He gave his whole heart to Shyla. He did everything for her. I feel so broken that she might not ever experience or remember how much he is the best dad in the whole world… now it’s like I have to answer to our three-year-old when she asks, ‘Why is Daddy not coming out of the ocean?’”

She said she and her daughter continue to wait for Van der Walt to return home and remain hopeful he will be found.

“We don’t care how much time has passed. We are not going to give up on him,” she said.

The family is continuing to appeal to the public to support the search by keeping watch along the coastline and sharing information that could help locate Van der Walt.