Durban - The public have been warned to stick to bathing areas where lifeguards are on duty after a ban on overtime pay for lifeguards left Durban beaches unprotected at the weekend.
Spokeswoman for the municipality, Tozi Mthethwa, issued the warning today in the wake of three drownings at eThekwini beaches at the weekend and as a dispute over wages led to a number of city lifeguards leaving their posts.
According to an internal eThekwini memorandum – which has been seen by the Daily News – overtime had been stopped to prevent budget overruns and affected beaches and public pools throughout the municipality – from eManzimtoti in the south to KwaDukuza in the north.
However, lifeguards told the Daily News on Wednesday that the municipality had since agreed to pay overtime to lifeguards this week while the Metro FM awards are taking place in the city.
It was not clear what will happen from next week.
Were it not for Saturday’s awards there might have been no lifeguards on the beaches in the afternoons this coming weekend, said DA councillor Shontel Asbury, who is on the city’s community and emergency services committee.
The family of a 15-year-old boy, who drowned at uShaka Beach at the weekend, told the Daily News that had there been more lifeguards around, he might have been saved.
Musa Hlongwane, of Ndwedwe, north of Durban, was one of three people who drowned on eThekwini beaches at the weekend.
His older sister, Nosihle Hlongwane, said on Wednesday that several family members had gone to the beach on Saturday, not knowing if there were lifeguards on duty.
They arrived at about 11.30am.
“Musa and a 12-year-old child in the family took their clothes off as soon as they arrived at the beach. The family had not even settled down when they went for a swim,” Hlongwane said.
“It wasn’t even 20 minutes later when the other child came back crying and said: ‘Musa is drowning’.”
She said the boys were not too far from where the family was sitting, although they could not see exactly where they were.
“He drowned very quickly. The other child said they were both hit by heavy waves and Musa disappeared suddenly. When we couldn’t find him, we called for help from lifeguards,” Hlongwane said.
“They (lifeguards) tried looking for him but couldn’t find him. Later, they said they were volunteers and wanted to help but had no boat and also said they were off duty.
“We feel if there were more lifeguards, we could have been helped,” she said.
Hlongwane was speaking to the Daily News at Point police station, where she had gone to see the investigating officer before being taken to the mortuary, where she identified her brother’s body.
The family had been searching for Musa until they learnt a body had washed up early on Wednesday.
“It is very painful because we don’t really know what happened. We thought Musa and the other child might have got separated and thought Musa would show up that day,” Hlongwane said.
On Saturday afternoon, another 15-year-old boy drowned at Wedge Beach and two people had to be rescued from the surf by casual staff who work at the paddling pools.
On Sunday, a man drowned at Country Club beach.
Mthethwa said they were saddened by Hlongwane’s death and the other drownings and offered her condolences to his family.
She said the matter was still being investigated, but she stressed that if, for whatever reason, lifeguards were not on duty, they ensured the public was aware of this.
Daily News