Pretoria - A mother whose young child drowned is so determined that such a tragedy will not befall other families that she teaches children how to swim and basic life-saving skills.
The Mdlaloses were aware of the dangers of owning a pool and made sure that the family installed a safety net. However, it was not enough to prevent their son, Sibusiso, from drowning.
Busi, the wife of Sanele, who was away on business, was at home during the accident and says she can never forgive herself.
Busi has been teaching children to swim for more than 10 years.
She also teaches parents basic life-saving and first aid skills.
”I don’t just teach swimming, I even show (the children) how to get into the water safely,” Busi said.
“They learn that they cannot get into the water without adult supervision even if they can swim.”
Sanele says being vigilant may not be enough to save children, like Sibusiso, but parents can improve their odds by reaching out to people like Busi.
“I am a very vigilant parent, and always put safety first but it happened – it can happen to anyone,” he said. “You can reduce your chances if you take your children to swimming schools.”
Cindy Mtungwa had left her son Linda, almost two years old, in the care of a relative one day while she went to work. When she arrived home that evening, she asked where the toddler was. Standing over the stove, Cindy’s relative replied that Linda had fallen into the water.
“She began relating that he fell into the water and I just went hysterical,” says Mtungwa, who rushed to her son’s room where she found him swaddled in a towel as if asleep – except that his eyes were foaming.
It took her a minute to realise her child was ice-cold, blue-lipped and dead.
“She’d taken him out of the water and put him on the bed,” Mtungwa adds. “Then she undressed him and wrapped him in a towel and left him there”.
Mtungwa’s relative never attempted to revive the boy or call paramedics.
To this day, Mtungwa says she does not know how to explain the woman’s strange behaviour.
Both the Mtungwa and Mdlalose families say they believe teaching children to swim and learning how to resuscitate a child can save lives.
With the festive season and soaring temperatures, the number of drownings are set to spike, warns private emergency medical services (EMS) company Netcare 911.
Their latest statistics show that about 30 percent of festive season drownings nationwide occur in Gauteng. The EMS company warns that supervision may not be enough to prevent drownings in pools or dams as many children drown while in the care of adults.
Netcare 911 chief executive Craig Grindell says the festive season is a busy time and warns that unsecured pools and even shallow pools of water are particularly dangerous.
Grindell urges parents and caregivers to be vigilant and take necessary precautions. – Health-e News.