Durban Teacher Declines KSh 400k Reward After Finding Missing Former SAAF Pilot

A primary school teacher in Durban, South Africa has been praised for her selfless act after she found a missing former South African Air Force helicopter pilot and declined a KSh 400,000 reward offered by his family.

Lezé van der Walt, a teacher at Northlands Primary School, was driving her five-year-old son to school on Monday, 7 September 2026 when she decided to use a different route along Norrie Avenue. While on the road, she spotted a man sitting partly hidden in bushes. She stopped and raised the alarm, later learning that he was Slade Thomas, a former SAAF pilot who had disappeared over the weekend.

Thomas had been the subject of a large community search involving volunteers, emergency personnel and private security teams. His family had said he lives with severe memory loss, mental illness and depression, which made his disappearance especially worrying. They had offered a reward of about R50,000, which is around KSh 400,000, for credible information on his whereabouts.

After Thomas was found safe, his family offered the reward to Van der Walt, but she turned it down, saying the discovery was an act of God and not something she did for money. Private investigator Brad Nathanson, who was involved in the search, said other volunteers and emergency responders also declined any financial compensation, reflecting the community's willingness to help without expecting payment.

The family has thanked everyone who took part in the search that helped bring Thomas home safely, while social media users praised the teacher for her compassion and humility.