Rescuer hailed as a hero

Kanagee Chetty (44) is grateful to everyone who helped to save her and her daughter, Esther (14), in a near-drowning incident recently.

The life-changing experience which happened at a beach near Margate on August 4 left the mother and daughter from Uvongo, both in ICU until August 7.

They have since recovered and are grateful to be alive.

Kanagee, who is a former social worker, said on that particular Sunday, the family of four had gone to the beach to pick up shells and wet their feet when a ‘freak’ wave pulled them in and didn’t let go.

At about the same time, Reon Schreuder and his wife Brenda, visiting from Mooi River, had gone to the beach for a swim.

Reon said he was standing on the shore watching over the couple’s belongings while Brenda was swimming when he noticed the Chetty family, a little way down the beach, were in trouble.

“I then saw the husband waving his hands for help,” he said. He told Brenda he was going to help and ran to assist the family.

Kanagee said she was holding Esther’s hand while they were wetting their feet, and in panic in the water, she never let her go.

“She’s smart; she held on until our lungs filled with water, and we were unconscious. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her or imagine both of us gone. How would that impact my husband Abel and my little boy Daniel,” she said.

Reon said that as he ran into the ocean, he saw Kanagee was unconscious and immediately turned her onto her back, and some of the water came out of her mouth. He saw Esther go under the water, and he pulled her out and also got her onto her back.

He described the surf conditions as rough, and he was having difficulty keeping them on their backs in the big, choppy waves while getting them back to shore.

In desperation, he prayed to God for strength.

“At that point, I thought if God doesn’t help us, we are not going to make it, as I wasn’t going out of the ocean without them. A miracle happened, and I was able to put my feet on the sand and get them to safety,” said Reon.

“It’s by the Grace of God that all three of us are here, and I’m glad the Lord put us on the path so we could be there to help. We wanted to go to the shopping mall, but we got lost, and if we hadn’t got lost, we wouldn’t have been on the beach that day,” he said.

Kanagee said there are no words to express their gratitude to Reon.

“He held onto both of us until we reached the shoreline. He is a true hero, and we thank God for this man who selflessly risked his own life to save both Esther and I,” she said.

Kanagee said the experience has left them traumatised, and they have since gone for counselling.

“My human mind cannot understand why some are taken while others are saved, but I trust in God’s plan and purpose for our lives. I pray to God to give those who risk their lives to save others courage and strength to continue their noble work. We also pray for those who have lost their loved ones, for God to wrap them in his loving arms as they heal,” she said.

Kanagee further thanked Margate lifeguards, a woman who called the ambulance, and Marius Myburgh from KwaZulu Private Ambulance for their assistance.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram