09-07-2025
‘We just want him back': Cape Town wife pleads with authorities to find missing fisherman
A Cape Town woman is pleading with authorities to find her fisherman husband's body.
Jaco Greef was hit by multiple waves and was washed off the rocks.
Police are still searching for his body.
A heartbroken wife is calling on authorities not to spare any resources to find her husband, who was swept off rocks near Rocky Bay, between Gordon's Bay and the Steenbras River mouth, while fishing with friends on Saturday.
Jaco Greef, 44, remains missing at sea while his two friends escaped unharmed.
Greef's wife, Monique, is at her wit's end and wants authorities to recover his body so she can find closure.
'I just want my husband's body to be found so I can get some closure, We just have to find him,' a sobbing Monique told News24.
She said the last time she saw her husband was on Saturday around 07:00 when he left with his friends to go fishing.
'Never in a million years did I think that would be the last time I saw my husband. My mind has been going crazy because I can't believe he is missing,' said Monique.
She added that her husband and his friends went fishing every weekend and had set their sights on a specific spot near Clarence Drive in Gordon's Bay where they would usually catch fish.
'That spot he knew would get lots of fish, but he also knew it wasn't the safest area to fish, and that's why he never went alone.'
Monique said there was a rock next to a deep hole where he would sit and fish.
'Multiple waves hit him, he lost his balance and fell inside the hole. It's difficult to get out of the hole.'
Monique Greef/Supplied
She added daily searches for her husband have been unsuccessful.
'His fishing rod is still inside that hole. I wish his body could be found already. I have been pleading with almost every official I am dealing with to please find my husband.
'This pain is unbearable. Not knowing where he is makes life so difficult for me and my kids.'
Monique said a week before her husband disappeared, he celebrated his 44th birthday. The couple have been married for four years.
'On the day he went missing, I told him he must not be too long because I was working nightshift the next day and wanted to spend time with him.
'I told him that we are going to lie in bed the whole Sunday morning because it was going to rain.'
Monique also recalled him sending her a detailed map with arrows pointing to where he and his friends sat and fished.
'I constantly look at this map. I get shivers just thinking of this.'
She said she constantly contacted the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and the police for updates.
'I have been told it is hazardous for divers to get inside that hole because there is no guarantee that they will come out. That scares me because does that mean we will never find my husband?'
Monique pleaded with the authorities to spare no resources to find her husband.
'I cannot rest until his body is recovered. I am pleading and begging for anyone who frequents Gordon's Bay's beaches to please keep an eye out for his body,' she said.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon added after 10:00 on Saturday, its Gordon's Bay duty crew and the City of Cape Town water rescue network were activated following reports of an angler being swept off rocks by waves while fishing.
He said various responders, including the Western Cape EMS's rescue helicopter, were activated to find the fisherman.
Monique Greef/Supplied
'On arrival at the scene, a search commenced for the missing man. An extensive air, sea and shoreline search, in rough sea conditions, revealed no signs of the missing man,' added Lambinon.
He said police divers were tasked to search for Greef.
Western Cape police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana said Greef was standing on the rocks when he was swept away.
'He could not get out of the water and was swept away. Gordon's Bay SAPS was informed and attended to the scene with the NSRI and the South African Police Service Diving Unit. Gordon's Bay police opened an enquiry about a missing person. The search is ongoing,' added Manyana.
