Durban - AN eight-months pregnant woman was one of the two women who drowned at Trafalgar Beach, Port Edward on Sunday afternoon.
The women had got into difficulty in rip currents and were swept out to sea.
An unidentified 9-year-old surfer and a father and son helped save the lives of two teenagers and recover the bodies of the women.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said an inquest docket was being investigated by Margate police after two women aged 26 and 30 drowned at Trafalgar Beach on Sunday around 6pm.
“It is alleged that the victims were swimming when they got into difficulty and drowned. The bodies were recovered and the matter is still under investigation,” said Mbele.
Family representative Nosipho Gumbi, 28, said the family of four adults and six children had gone to the beach to enjoy themselves.
Gumbi said before leaving, they decided to have one last swim.
“All of a sudden the water was covering my face and I couldn’t reach the floor. When I looked back, everyone else was screaming and struggling. But I managed to get out because I was behind them,” Gumbi said.
She said the children followed, but the two woman who died – Nonsikelelo Mthuli, 30, and Nonsikelelo Ngidi, 26 – and two children were left behind.
Gumbi said one of the children was assisted out of the water by two men, but they did not see how the second child got out of the water.
She said a few minutes later Ngidi, who was pregnant, was pulled out after she was seen floating on the surface of the water.
“She had a faint pulse so we initiated CPR on Ngidi but she wasn’t responding,” Gumbi said.
She said Mthuli’s head could also be seen in the distance. It took longer to save her and later she was seen floating on the water.
Gumbi said Ngidi also had a young son who was in Grade R this year.
She said both Ngidi and Mthuli were always laughing, bubbly but fighters, and their deaths had left the family distraught.
“We barely slept. It’s like our minds were on replay. I slept around 3.30am,” said Gumbi.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said: “A local unidentified 9-year-old surfer, using his surfboard, rescued the teenage boy from the water.
“A local father and his son, Dean and Josh Pretorius, who were fishing nearby, also swam out to assist. Josh rescued the teenage girl from the water after reaching her in the surfline as she was going underwater. His dad rescued one of the adults from the water and once on the beach CPR efforts commenced on that adult lady.”
Lambinon said at that stage, the NSRI and emergency services arrived on scene and took over CPR.
The Pretoriuses relaunched into the surf after bystanders pointed out the second woman floating in the surfline and on reaching her she was face-down in the water. Together they managed to recover her to the beach where CPR was begun.
The NSRI commended the unidentified 9-year-old surfer and Dean and Josh Pretorius for their combined efforts during the incident.
Daily News