WHILE the Minister of Sport, Nathi Mthethwa, has made no announcement on the resumption of lifesaving activities, the chairman of Lifesaving KZN, Mike Raubenheimer, said he hopes activities in and around the sport will resume soon.
Lifesaving KZN, which is the controlling body of surf and stillwater lifesaving in the province, looks after 17 lifesaving clubs around the province.
Raubenheimer said they are gearing up to reopen lifesaving operations and prep lifesavers for annual recertification.
“In order to rescue bathers and best serve our community, lifesavers need to be fit and well trained to meet the challenges in safeguarding lives at beaches and pools. As we know the lockdown has seen no activity of late with bathing areas and public swimming pools still no-go areas at the time of writing. While we are eager to get back to lifeguarding duties, we are still not operational and await instructions from the government and minister of sport.
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“Municipalities have the responsibility of their beaches and pools and we work closely with the relevant local authorities. Some local municipalities have allowed surfing and surfski paddling to take place but we urge the public to check with their local authority before engaging in any aquatic activity. Currently all bathing areas are closed and there are no shark nets in place along the entire coast,” he explained.
The Durban North resident said, through their national body, Lifesaving South Africa has made the necessary applications to reopen lifesaving clubs which would be carried out under the strictest of compliance.
“Every clubhouse, duty tower, equipment pens and ablutions will be sanitised by spray fogging, supported by Faren SA with ISO approved chemicals. Entrances to lifesaving clubhouses will be under the control of appointed compliance officers detailing times, names and details of members signing on for duties and training. Our national body has provided provincial bodies with precise compliance regulations which the 17 lifesaving clubs will adhere to,” he said.
He added each lifesaving station along the KZN coast will be issued with an ERP- Emergency Response Pack- a sealed sterile first responder pack for medical emergencies.
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This will allow lifeguards to carry out CPR and attend to trauma cases with full personal protection.
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