The Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) organisation has urged hikers to take mountain safety seriously after two young climbers became stranded on a vertical cliff on Devil’s Peak.  

The pair in their early twenties were rescued on Friday night, after spending nearly four hours trapped on narrow ledge above a contour path.  

They were at the First Waterfall Ravine, when they decided to take a different route by attempting to “traverse out of the ravine onto the neighbouring buttress, before trying to down-climb a sheer cliff face”. 

WSAR noted that they quickly landed in danger, highlighting the dangers of shortcuts, route-finding mistakes and attempting to descend unfamiliar terrain. 

“The first hiker managed to reach a ledge approximately one metre wide, where she wisely stopped. Her companion, however, slipped while attempting to find a route down, coming to rest on an extremely narrow ledge estimated to be just 10cm wide, smaller than the length of a foot,” read the WSAR statement. 

With no safe way up or down, they contacted the emergency number (021 937 0300) for urgent assistance. The rescue was concluded at 22:37, with both hikers safe.  

However, the organisation noted that the route, particularly First Waterfall Ravine, required significant experience. 

It further advised future hikers to research routes carefully, turn back early if uncertain, avoid exposed descents, and always retreat the way they came when conditions become unsafe. Hikers are urged to save and share the correct emergency contact number (021 937 0300).

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that concerns over illegal migration must not fuel xenophobia, as international pressure mounts over reports of attacks and intimidation against foreign nationals in South Africa.

In his Freedom Day address, Ramaphosa stressed that while government will continue to enforce immigration laws, clamp down on undocumented work, and fight corruption in the system, citizens must not allow frustration over migration to “give rise to xenophobia” or prejudice against fellow Africans.

His remarks come amid growing regional concern, with Ghana summoning South Africa’s top envoy following reported “acts of intimidation and harassment” against Ghanaian citizens and other migrants.

Ghana’s foreign ministry raised a formal protest after videos circulated online showing vigilante groups confronting people they suspected of being in the country illegally, including a Ghanaian man whose documents were questioned despite being in South Africa legally.

Officials in Accra described the conduct as undermining the dignity and rights of law-abiding citizens.

The situation has also drawn reaction from Nigeria, which has advised its nationals in South Africa to exercise caution following renewed anti-foreigner demonstrations in cities including Durban and East London, now known as KuGompo City.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission reported incidents of looting, violence and property damage linked to the protests.

The United Nations has also voiced concern, with the Secretary-General’s office condemning reported xenophobic attacks and harassment of migrants, saying such violence and incitement to hatred “have no place in an inclusive, democratic society governed by the rule of law”.

The UN reminded South Africa that its own liberation struggle was sustained by international solidarity, and urged that responses to migration challenges must be lawful, non-discriminatory and rooted in human rights and dignity.

At the centre of the tensions are growing protests by vigilante groups such as Operation Dudula and March and March, which claim migrants are driving unemployment and social problems, and have staged demonstrations that in some cases turned violent.

South African authorities, including police leadership, have condemned the violence and insisted that no group has the right to take the law into its own hands.