Durban - Former national swimmer Oneida Cooper spared a thought of praise for former Robben Island political prisoners after raising R70000 for her non-profit swim school when she completed a swim from the island to Bloubergstrand on Sunday.
“I don’t think there are any words that can describe the feeling of knowing what my father (Dr Saths Cooper) and other political prisoners went through on the island, knowing their freedom was not guaranteed and my knowing that I was swimming for what they have guaranteed and that is freedom for South Africa,” said 25-year-old Oneida.
She and eight supporters began their stamina-sapping swim at 7am to raise funds for her Making Waves Together South Africa NPO swimming school in Johannesburg.
Conditions had not been favourable, with 3m swells throughout their swim, she said.
“It was a very tough 2.5km at the start and I wanted to stop. From there I had another four times that I pleaded with them to take me out of the water.
Brother
“If it wasn’t for my brother, Athisten Cooper, my family and friends, and my eight fellow swimmers as well as all the people who donated money to the swim, I would not have been able to pull through.
“We raised about R70000 and definitely see this amount rising.
“Our fundraising does not stop because the swim is over.
“We’ll continue to fundraise,” Oneida said.
She thanked everyone who had been part of her Making Waves Together South Africa NPO fundraiser, which was the first of many accomplishments that were to follow.
Oneida launched Making Waves Together South Africa last year to teach children, as well as adults, to swim.
Her previous swimming achievements include representing South Africa at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in India and the All Africa Junior Championships in 2009, as well as having swam at the Youth Olympics and the Mare Nostrum Series in 2010.