Father Drowns While Saving Daughter at a KwaZulu-Natal Beach, SA Hails Him a Hero: “A Noble Cause of Death”

• A father who jumped into the ocean to rescue his child was declared dead by paramedics in KwaZulu-Natal
• He managed to pass the child to a relative and was swept away; later Medi Response rescue swimmers managed to pull the victim out
• Despite extensive life-saving attempts by paramedics, the father was declared dead at the scene

BALLITO - A Day at the beach turned deadly for a family when a father drowned while trying to rescue his child on Sunday, 11 September.

The family were taking pictures on rocks when a wave washed the child away at Thompson’s Bay. The father jumped into the water to rescue the child.

He managed to pass the child to a relative and was swept away after he got into distress. Medi Response attended to the scene and told TimesLIVE that the man was spotted floating in the water.

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Medi Response rescue swimmers managed to return to shore with the victim. However, despite extensive life-saving attempts, the man was declared dead at the scene.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Netcare 911 responded to a drowning at a beach south of the Wild Coast Sun Holiday Resort. One of the swimmers in a group was pulled into the sea by a strong rip current.

Netcare 911 Spokesperson Shawn Herbst said that while most swimmers managed to get back to the shore, a 15-year-old boy had to be pulled out by the South Coast SAPS Search and Rescue Unit. Unfortunately, he told IOL, that the boy showed no signs of life and was declared dead.

Following the drownings, Briefly News spoke to Lifesaving South Africa to find out the dos and don’ts of swimming in the ocean. The organisation's spokesperson, Jace Govender, said:

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“The number one rule is to only swim between red and yellow flags which indicate the beach is meant for bathing. These flags are used around the world.

Swimming is only allowed during daylight hours since lifeguards work between 8am and 5pm. Citizens should never swim near rocks or in brown water.”

South Africans mourn for the father:

Dhiren Hunsraj said:

“Tragic story. May the hero dad RIP. Please be careful...fancy social media pics are not worth our lives.”

Knowledge Lwazi Moyo commented:

“Fatherly love. Glad to hear that we still have fathers like that to this day.”

Mbekezeli Mkhwase Mendlula posted:

“Very sad story. It’s unwise to go to a beach when you can’t swim.”

Nombulelo Ngubane added:

“Such a sad story! May this father’s soul RIP, he died saving his child, can’t think of a more noble cause of death.”

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In a related matter, Briefly News also reported Nadia Lewis, a momma from Randburg, Johannesburg came to KwaZulu-Natal on 12 February to swim the aQuellé Midmar Mile.

On 19 July 2014, Nadia lost her little boy Hanno to cancer after eight long months of fighting the dreaded disease. It has been a heartbreaking past eight years without her boy but Nadia has done everything to make sure he exists in everything that she does.

In the year that Hanno passed away, Nadia began volunteering for Rainbows and Smiles, a non-profit organisation based in South Africa, which provides emotional, social and financial support to families and caregivers in need when a child of that family is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

Source: Briefly News