As the holiday season draws to an end, it is with a sigh of relief that fewer serious incidents has been reported compared to previous years.
According to KwaDukuza beach manager, Steve Honeysett, the 2015 season was one of the most successful on record for the area with regards to public safety on beaches.
“We had a few incidents, but because of the vigilance of lifeguards and the added presence of law enforcement, many potential problems were avoided,” said Honeysett.
There were no drownings on any public KwaDukuza beaches over December.
A 48-year-old man on holiday from the Eastern Cape drowned in the La Mercy lagoon near Umdloti after he got into trouble while swimming on New Year’s Day.
KwaDukuza lifeguard supervisor, Bongani Xulu said further drownings were avoided through a number of sea rescues performed by his team of lifeguards.
“We performed four successful rescues over the month including an inflatable boat rescue off Clarke Bay when a swimmer was caught in a rip current and later picked up roughly 400 metres off the backline on New Year’s Day,” said Xulu.
He said one of their most fulfilling moments involved the rescue of an elderly man who got swept out on a bodyboard in a rip current in front of Canelands hotel. A lifeguard patrolling on the jetski was alerted and found the man exhausted near the rocks.
“The man was really lucky to have no injuries as he was near some very sharp rocks. Afterwards the man asked to meet all the lifeguards so that he could thank them, which was really special for the guys.”
According to Honeysett and Xulu, one of the biggest problems was drinking on the beach, which is a leading cause of drowning every December.
A man who was swimming in the Clarke Bay tidal pool on January 1 swallowed a large amount of seawater, after he was too intoxicated to swim. He had to be resuscitated by lifeguards and paramedics.
Honeysett said law enforcement did a very good job of policing people drinking on the beach, adding that the problem was at least halved as a result of stricter law enforcement.
Ballito Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) security manager, Dieter Fittkau said positive public participation had led to better behaviour and a cleaner environment.
“There was a real clamp down on drinking on the beach and the lack of incidents was due to a good presence of law enforcement, lifeguards, as well as the public, who, in the most part respected our laws,” said Fittkau.
In previous years, there have been problems on North Coast beaches with the toilet facilities, but Honeysett said keeping it clean was a priority for KwaDukuza municipality.
“The toilet facilities held up well. Portable toilets were installed at Salt Rock, Blythedale, Tinley Manor and Zinkwazi and were serviced every day. Septic tanks were also drained three times over the month with no sewage overflow on the beach,” said Honeysett.
Both Honeysett and Xulu said that the success of the extremely busy New Year’s weekend was due to lifeguards working 13 hour shifts over the three days between January 1 and 3.
“We are still aware of the ever present threats and remain vigilant in the event of further incidents over the course of January, especially at unprotected beaches,” said Xulu.
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