Search Underway for 17-Year-Old Boy Missing at Monwabisi Beach As 4 Other Teens Rescued
- A large-scale search operation is underway for a 17-year-old boy who went missing in the surf at Monwabisi Beach in Cape Town on Saturday morning
- Four other teenagers, believed to be between the ages of 13 and 17, were pulled to safety by members of the public, including surfers and a bystander
- Two of the rescued teens are in a stable condition, while the other two remain in hospital in a serious but stable condition, with all four expected to recover
Nerissa Naidoo, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, previously worked as an editor, content creator, researcher, and ghostwriter before joining the team.
Source: Getty Images
WESTERN CAPE, CAPE TOWN - Emergency crews were called to Monwabisi Beach in Cape Town shortly after 11:00 on Saturday morning, 17 May 2026, after eyewitnesses reported multiple swimmers in serious trouble in the water. Five local teenage boys, believed to be between 13 and 17 years old, had been swimming when they were pulled into strong rip currents.
By the time rescue teams arrived, four of the boys had already been brought out of the water by members of the public who did not wait for help to arrive.
How were the four saved?
A bystander, who many believe is a lifeguard, used an NSRI pink rescue buoy to help pull one of the boys to safety. There were surfers in the water as well. They used their surfboards to help get the remaining three out of the water.
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The teenagers were found on the beach with symptoms of non-fatal drowning. They were taken to the hospital by ambulance. Two are reported to be in a stable condition, while the other two are serious but stable. All four are expected to recover.
The fifth teenager was not found despite the fast response from both the public and emergency services. A big search was put together to try to locate him. Teams from the NSRI, police divers, Cape Town fire and rescue, EMS, and law enforcement all joined the effort. By Sunday, divers were still in the water but had not found any sign of the missing boy.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the organisation's thoughts were with all five boys and their loved ones, and gave credit to the person who called for help when they saw the teenagers in trouble. He added that police had since opened a case to look into how the incident happened.
Source: Getty Images
More missing persons stories in SA
A six-year-old boy who went missing was found alive in a Boksburg veld with serious injuries, and the details of what happened to him left many deeply shaken.
A 14-year-old boy from the Western Cape went missing after he was last seen swimming near Hermanus. Police launched a search that turned up no sign of him beneath the water where he was last spotted.
An 18-year-old went missing while snorkelling in Mozambique. His family raised over R221 000 to keep search efforts going nearly three weeks after he disappeared.
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Source: Briefly News
