Teenager drowns in public swimming pool in Chatsworth

A 19-year-old man drowned in a public swimming pool in Chatsworth on Friday, despite attempts made by lifeguards to resuscitate him.

A police statement explained that Durban police divers were called to the Athlone Park Municipal Swimming Pool, where the man was seen at the bottom of the water.

“The pool lifeguards removed the victim from the pool and attempted to resuscitate him. Sadly, the victim was declared deceased,” the statement read.

The body was given to Chatsworth Police.

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Last week, a body was recovered from the Klipspruit River in Kliptown, Soweto. A small crowd of residents gathered around the teenager’s body as he withdrawn from the water.

He is believed to have been swept away during heavy rains the day before. “The people who were there when he fell told us he is about 18 years old. We, nor the police, have yet seen his birth certificate [or ID],” EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said.

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Gauteng police spokesperson Mavela Masondo said an inquest docket had been opened. People living near the river are pleading with the municipality to do something because, they say, each year people drown or have near-drowning experiences during heavy downpours.

A national problem

But heavy rain aside, South Africa has been known to have a drowning problem. The National Sea Rescue Institute swimming centre used a shipping container filled with water—a makeshift pool but the only one for 25km—to teach young children the basics of staying afloat.

Yet just one South African in seven knows how to swim, and each year around 1,500 people drown, according to a local rescue institute—an average of four individuals per day.

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