Lifeguards acted within the law, says city
A city investigation reveals the lifeguards tried to find the owner of the dogs..
eTHEKWINI Municipality has released an official response to the reports that municipal lifeguards tried to drown two dogs at Battery Beach on Wednesday, 22 January.
Municipal spokesman Thabo Mofekeng said officials had investigated the allegations and were satisfied with the findings and would not be taking any action against the lifeguards concerned.
He said on Wednesday, 22 January, the two lifeguards based at Durban Battery Beach reported for duty at 5:45am, for their 6am shift. The lifeguards noticed approximately 10 people already bathing and about three people exercising on the shore. As per their routine beach safety preparation, they began placing bathing beacons to indicate the boundaries within which bathers could swim. While placing the beacons, they noticed two dogs that had been left unattended. One of the dogs had been leashed to the beacon. “They approached the group who were training to enquire if they knew who the owner of the dog was. They made several other attempts to ascertain the owner of the dogs, including making an announcement on the public announcement system, however no-one came forward,” he said.
“They then called Law Enforcement and after some discussion decided to take the dogs to the nearest SPCA. As they were preparing to leave with the dogs, a lady who had been training approached them and accused them of being abusive towards the dogs, demanding that the dogs be released immediately. Her high tone attracted the attention of the other bathers and that was when the owner of the dogs came forward.
The owner was fined R300 for having dogs in a prohibited area and R250 for not having a leash on one of the dogs. As per the municipal by-laws, pets are not permitted to be on the seashore and there are signs indicating this. In public places, dogs should always be leashed and under supervision for the safety of other patrons,” he said.
“The Municipality would like to appeal to all citizens and bathers to adhere to the by-laws of the City to ensure they are able to enjoy our facilities in a safe and hassle-free manner. We are committed to being one of the world-class tourist destinations and encourage everyone to co-operate with our law enforcement, as the regulations put in place are there to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all citizens.”
Of course the municipality would stick up for the lifeguards. Anything to do with justice nowadays is a joke. There is absolutely no excuse for their behavior towards the animals. Lifeguards are supposed to be there to look out for the well-being of all beach goers, which should include animals, and they are being paid to do so. It doesn’t make you feel safe at all knowing that if they feel this way towards animals then how do they treat humans – would they even care to save you. It’s utterly disgusting that they can get away with behaving like this, and even worse that the municipality defends their behavior.