Day 26: Mother urges public not to forget those still unaccounted for

Today is 26 days since Terricia Govender and five other South Africans have been reported missing in Nepal

On the 26th day since Terricia Govender and five other South Africans were reported missing after the Nepal flash floods, her mother says she will continue searching and urges the public to keep the missing people and their families in their thoughts.

In a Facebook post this morning, Linda Govender said: “26 days of waking up with the same question - where is my daughter? “26 days of searching, asking, praying, travelling, listening, questioning and holding on when every day feels heavier than the one before,” the post read.

“Terricia is not a number. She is not a statistic. She is not simply a name on a list of missing people. She is my daughter.

“And Terricia is one of the many people who remain missing,” said Govender. The Isha Foundation reported that 80 members of its S3 group members who were on pilgrimage at the time, were still missing.

South African couple Vivaganathan Pillay, 66, and Janet Pillay, 56, are among six South Africans missing after devastating flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, 2026.

Five other South Africans – Barika Ramjee, 43, from East London; and Ladysmith couples, Vivaganathan Pillay, 66, and his wife Janet, 56 and 74-year-old Surendranath Maharaj and his wife Anitha, 67 – also remain unaccounted for.

74-year-old Surendranath Maharaj and his and 67-year-old Anitha also remain unaccounted for.

Govender said behind every missing person was a mother, a father, a child, a sibling, a partner or a friend waiting, hoping and praying for their loved one to be found.

“Some people may have reached their own conclusions. Some may believe the search should end. Some may believe there is nothing more to hope for. But hope is not something another person has the right to take away from a mother. I will face whatever truth comes when it comes,” she said.

“Until Terricia is found and until there are answers, I will continue to search. 26 days is a long time. But it is not a reason for a mother to stop loving, stop asking, stop praying or stop hoping.

“So today, on Day 26, I ask South Africa and the world, please don’t forget them. Please keep their families in your prayers. Please keep your eyes open for information. Please keep sharing their names. Hope does not have a deadline.”