Athlenda Mathe, Netcare911 spokesman, says it is believed the man was part of a group of friends who were swimming at a residential pool at the Grootvlei estate.
She says the man experienced problems in the water and drowned.
When Netcare911 paramedics arrived on the scene, they found members of the Community Police Forum (CPF) performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the man.
Mathe says the CPF members say they continued with CPR for about 30 minutes.
The paramedics declared the man dead on scene.
Tips on preventing drowning:
- Prevention is better than cure.
- Be vigilant and keep a watchful eye on children around water.
- Keep pool gates locked or cover the pool with a certified pool net.
- A basic course in first aid and CPR can make a dramatic difference in the outcome should the skills be applied.
Ensure that you use an accredited facility and receive a certificate of competence.
- In any emergency situation the most important thing to do is immediately contact the correct emergency number for the relevant authority.
- Try and memorise the number for emergency services in the area and keep the number saved on a cellphone or close to the land line telephone.
“In many cases, during the panic of a medical emergency, people cannot remember the correct number or cannot find where they have written it down,” says Mathe.
