“We are at peace knowing that he left this world doing what he loved – walking the mountain.”
These were the words of Dhananjaya Verdarajalo Naidoo’s family in a statement, after the body of the missing 66-year-old man, who was last seen at Newlands Forest, was found.
Mr Naidoo, of Kenwyn, went hiking at Newlands Forest on Saturday November 16 but did not return home. His family reported him missing and launched search operations in the forest.
Claremont police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Marnus Fourie said Mr Naidoo, who was diabetic, had been expected home by 6pm on Saturday for an appointment and when his family had been unable to reach him, they had gone to the forest where they had found his white Toyota Corolla.
His body was found last Wednesday, around 4pm, about 10 metres off the Contour Path in Newlands Forest.
“An inquest was opened to determine the cause of death,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Fourie.
Search operations since Saturday included the use of drones and search dogs. On Sunday the search was called off due to poor light, but continued again on Monday.
By Tuesday the search was halted again due to a fire that broke out at the forest. The search continued on Wednesday with about 30 volunteers who systemically searched the area.
“The medical report indicates he passed away from a heart attack that took place over a short three-minute period. He was found in a good condition with a slight smile on his face. It is likely that he knelt down to rest and slowly touched the ground around 5pm on Saturday. There was no bodily harm. We are at peace knowing that he left this world doing what he loved – walking the mountain. The place he was found was a beautiful lookout point by a tree,” the family’s statement read.
“We express immense respect and gratitude to all the people that volunteered to bring our Dad home. In no particular order, we would like to thank our family, friends, our father’s colleagues from the teaching/education fraternity, members of Wilderness Search and Rescue, SAPS and all members of the public who volunteered,” the statement said.
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