Türkiye presents medal to SA earthquake heroes
THE SAPS K9 Search and Rescue team that rescued a 90-year-old victim and recovered more than 200 bodies following the earthquake in Türkiye, have been recognised for their bravery and sacrifice.
Brigadier Vimla Moodley accepted a Medal of Supreme Sacrifice from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on April 25, on behalf of her team.
Moodley, 51, had been tasked with leading the SAPS K9 team which included five sniffer dogs and their handlers.
They were one of the first few rescue teams to arrive in Türkiye, and successfully assisted in the rescue of the 90-yearold woman who had been trapped under the rubble for nine days.
Moodley said it took an hour to get to the victim.
“It was on February 13. We were searching a collapsed apartment building. One of our dogs searched the whole area and provided positive indications of the victim. The second dog was sent to confirm.
“With the help of the Gift of the Givers rescue technicians and another rescue team, the victim was pulled out from the rubble. She had no visible injuries.”
Moodley, with 31 years of experience in the SAPS and who was nominated by the Turkish embassy as the leader of the K9 Search and Rescue team to attend the ceremony in Turkey, expressed her gratitude for the award.
“It is indeed a great honour to be bestowed with such a medal and certificate by the president of Türkiye, and to represent my country and the SAPS as well as the search and rescue team.
“It is the highest award to be received and I am grateful for the opportunity provided to me by the national commissioner and provincial commissioner of the Eastern Cape.”
She also thanked SAPS management for having confidence in her to get the job done.
Moodley hailed her team for their selfless efforts.
“They were ready to serve at a moment’s notice and I cannot thank them enough. They conducted themselves with excellence and put in the hard work without thinking of their own lives. They were dedicated and committed to the task at hand.”
Brigadier Moodley, who was the first black female to join the K9 unit in South Africa in 1992, also shared the challenges that the team had faced during the deployment to Türkiye.
“We worked under very harsh conditions.
“The dogs had to work in rubble with glass and lots of protruding reinforcing steel.
“There were also ongoing tremors which we feared would cause the ground beneath us to give way. There had already been cracks in the tar where we had set up camp.”
Moodley said the demand for their rescue dogs was overwhelming.
“It gave families hope to find their loved ones.”
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Türkiye claimed the lives of more than 50 000 people and was the biggest earthquake since 1939.
There were more than 10000 aftershocks in the three weeks that followed. About 14million people – 16% of the population – were affected by it. The earthquake was the worst natural disaster in modern Türkiye.
Moodley said the SAPS K9 Search and Rescue teams had been involved in several other recovery operations across the world, including Haiti in 2010, the
Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012, Tanzania in 2014, the Seychelles in 2017, Swaziland in 2017 and 2018, Zimbabwe in 2019 and Lesotho in 2021.
She attributed the team’s success to extensive training and preparation.
“In order to join the team, one has to do the basic K9 courses as well as patrol and sniffer courses. They have to be physically and mentally strong.
“They must be strong swimmers who are not afraid of swift waters. They must also be able to withstand heights, work in confined spaces, and on unstable surfaces. The training usually takes four months.”
National Commissioner of the SAPS , General Fannie Masemola, said the team had displayed expertise and excellence in their rescue operation.
“It is an honour to lead such excellence.
“When approached to go and assist the Turkish, they did not hesitate to respond to the call of duty.
“Thank you to each one of the team members for representing the SAPS and our country with great pride. Many thanks to Brigadier Moodley for leading effortlessly.”