ETHEKWINI Municipality has warned bathers to obey lifeguards after an eight-year-old boy is believed to have drowned in the Umkomaas River on Saturday, 16 November.
Search and Rescue personnel together with city lifeguards combed the area, about twenty metres from the beach, in an attempt to recover the body.
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In a media statement, the city urged bathers to exercise caution after heavy rains in Durban this week raised water levels in dams and rivers. Bathers are urged to follow the instructions of lifeguards on duty. Swimming is only permitted within designated bathing areas, marked with red and yellow flagged beacons. Swimming hours are from 6am to 6:30pm. Night swimming and the consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited. Lifeguards are on duty to monitor beaches to ensure that no swimming occurs after hours.
Should bathers find themselves in difficulty while swimming, they are encouraged to do anything to draw attention and /or alert lifeguards by waving their arms in the air and shouting for help.
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