On 28 October 1917, more than 400 market gardeners from Springfield Flats (Tin Town) in Durban drowned when the uMngeni River burst its banks after heavy rain.
Six fishermen, later known as the Padavatan Six, saved 176 people from drowning. Led by Mariemuthoo Padavatan, they made five trips into the raging river in an oar-driven banana boat.
Their rescue remains one of South Africa’s largest civilian acts of bravery.
Tin Town
By 1917, more than 2 500 people lived in Tin Town, many of them former Indian indentured labourers.
Residents built wood and iron houses and grew vegetables along the riverbanks, selling their produce around Durban.
On the night of the disaster, heavy rain and debris blocked the Railway and Connaught bridges.
When the Railway Bridge’s pillars cracked, a wall of water swept away homes, people and livestock.
Padavatan, then 30, was checking his boats at Addington Beach when workers alerted him to the flooding.
He assembled five volunteers: Gangan Padavatan, Sabapathy Periyasamy Govender, Rangasamy Naidoo, 16-year-old Kuppusamy Naidoo and T. Veloo.
Despite Inspector Alexander’s warning against attempting a rescue, the six launched Veloo’s banana boat.
The rescue that saved 176 lives in Durban
Padavatan secured a rope around his waist and the boat’s prow, while another crew controlled it from the riverbank.
Four men rowed while two pulled survivors from the water. They faced strong currents, floating debris and frightened residents clinging to rooftops.
The fishermen rescued 30 to 40 people per trip, including a one-month-old baby.
After five trips, authorities stopped further attempts as darkness approached.
Aftermath
More than 400 people reportedly died, while many farmers lost their homes and livelihoods.
The fishermen donated money collected in their honour to a flood relief fund.
On 8 December 1917, Durban honoured the Padavatan Six with gold medals. Mariemuthoo Padavatan also received a gold walking stick and a watch.
The M. Padavatan Primary School in Chatsworth later took his name in recognition of his bravery.
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