Residents lend helping hand to victims
Even at 80, Donald Wilkin is not one to sit on the sidelines.
When news broke on Monday last week about the collapsed building in George, Wilkin, a resident of 40 years, dropped everything and rushed to the scene in Victoria Street where a five-storey partially built building had imploded.
The death toll has risen to 33 people — including 27 men and six women.
Twelve people are in hospital, while 19 remain unaccounted for.
Though Wilkin’s hearing aid make working in noisy environments difficult, he knew he had to help.
Wilkin, who owns Ross Demolish, a company with heavy demolition equipment, left the daily business to his wife and brought along 12 of his workers to join the rescue efforts.
They became part of the team working tirelessly to save Gabriel Guambe, who was trapped in the rubble for five days.
“Despite my age, I knew I could still assist,” Wilkin said.
“You see these things on the news, but it hits differently when it’s your own community. I had to do something, even if it was just moving some of the debris out the way.”
He said the moment disaster struck it had been chaos.
“I heard the sirens wailing and knew something bad had happened.”
“I have been living in this town for four decades, seen folks come and go, and raised my own family here.
“When they said there were people trapped, I didn’t even think twice about assisting.
“Maybe it’s a stubborn streak, maybe it’s just knowing what it means to have a community.
“But there was no way I was staying put while my people needed help.”
Wilkin is not alone in his selfless act.
Retired psychologist JC de Kleck has also been a constant presence on site, offering counselling and support to families and the rescue team.
“The biggest challenge is the daily unknown,” De Kleck said.
“You see people looking lost, and you talk to them and realise they’re carrying a burden they don’t have to carry alone.
“Sometimes even the rescue workers need someone to talk to.
“This can take a toll on even the strongest of us.”