When Ballito businessman Ryan Leach, 31, sounded a distress call after encountering difficulty while on an enduro motorbike ride through tough terrain in Glendale last Sunday, he directed it to his best friend.
He also sent pictures and a location pin.
But when he was eventually tracked the next day, the search team found Leach’s lifeless body a few hundred metres from his abandoned motorbike, and all his valuables still intact.
His friend, Schalk Kleyn, initiated the search and was later joined by members of the local bike club, the SAPS K-9 Unit, search and rescue units and friends.
Kleyn said they are awaiting the post-mortem results, which would establish the cause of death, but suspected that Leach might have sustained internal injuries during a bike accident.
“When I saw him lying there, it felt unreal. My mind went to Ryan’s wife Nancy and his girIs, Mila, 8, and one-year-old Ryleigh.
“We were very close, there was not a day we didn't chat. I still feel like he’s going to call me,” he said.
Kleyn said Leach’s friends and family, including his mother Beverley, who had travelled from the UK, would gather today to “celebrate” his life.
“Ryan was the friendliest guy I knew. He always puts a smile on people’s faces. We played a round of golf on his birthday last Thursday and we were together again on Friday. Family and friends were at his birthday party on Saturday,” he said.
Apart from their strong bond of friendship, Leach and Kleyn were also married to two sisters; Nancy and Jamie, respectively.
Kleyn recalled Leach’s call for help around 12.30pm on the day in question.
“Come and get me”, Leach told Kleyn over the phone, before sending the location pin and two pictures.
“He called back to say he was going down to the river.
“I said no, don't go to the river…that was the last time we spoke,” he said.
Kleyn said he was supposed to accompany Leach that morning, but didn’t because Jamie was ill.
“I suggested he tagged along with other riders and not go alone because he was new to riding,” Kleyn said.
When Kleyn got to the riding trail in Glendale, which was about 50 kms from Ballito, he rode his bike up and down the mountain to reach the pin location.
He found the bike, but Leach was not there.
Kleyn called Leach’s phone repeatedly and got no response, he then asked a friend to assist with the search and they also alerted the local biker club.
He said the rescue team grew quickly and one of them used a thermal drone to track Leach’s whereabouts.
By midnight the team halted the search, but not Kleyn.
“I continued until 2am. I couldn’t leave. He was my best friend and brother-in-law,” he said.
Kleyn resumed searching around 5.30am and was joined by a few others.
Leach’s body was found by one of the search party members.
“I ran to the site, but it was too late,” said Kleyn.
His wife, Jamie said she was dropping her children at school when he called around 7am to tell her Leach had been found.
“I could hear Schalk panting as he ran, then the call cut.
“I broke down in the car.
“Someone posted on one of our WhatsApp groups, asking whether I was okay.
“That’s when it kicked in that Ryan was dead,” she said.
Jamie said Nancy and her children were with her during the search and they had high hopes of finding Leach alive.
“None of us expected this. We kept praying, we kept the faith. Nancy was devastated when Schalk broke the news to her.
“My sister was friends with Ryan from a young age. They only married in December, and were planning a honeymoon.
“He was the most amazing father, husband and friend and a big Liverpool supporter,” she said.
Jamie said Leach’s death was heartbreaking and she couldn’t find the words to console Nancy and the children.
She appreciated the outpouring of love and contributions made by many well wishers.
Dylan Meyrick from IPSS Medical Rescue confirmed that they were part of the search effort.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE