Heroic Mitchells Plain Man Who Died Saving 3 Drowning Teens Was Fated to Save the Boys, Daughter Says

• A Cape Town man heroically died saving the lives' of three teenage boys at Mnandi Beach in False Bay
• Armed only with his bodyboard, Reza Yon jumped to action and saved the three boys from drowning
• His two children remember him as a loving and kind man and are proud of him for his sacrifice

CAPE TOWN - A Mitchells Plain man has made the ultimate sacrifice after he lost his life saving three teenagers from drowning.

Reza Yon did not hesitate to jump to the aid of the young boys caught in a rip tide on Sunday, 25 September. The 48-year-old hero grabbed a bodyboard and ran into the water to save the boys.

Yon's daughter, Tara, who turned 23 on the day of her father's selfless sacrifice, believes that the heroic man was meant to be at the beach that day to the lives of the teenage boys.

Read also

Gqeberha boy viciously killed by family's pet pit bulls, Mzansi mourns 10-year-old's death

Tara said:

"We're glad he was there to save them and I couldn't be more proud of him. He was an amazing man."

According to National Sea Rescue Institute (NSIR), Strandfontein deputy station commander Arno Constance Yon swam to the three teenagers in the water and gave them the bodyboard to use as a flotation device before he encountered difficulty.

Constance is confident that the three boys would not have survived were it not for the flotation provided by the bodyboard, News24 reported.

According to Cape Town etc., the NSRI was alerted that a drowning was in progress at Mnandi beach in False Bay. NSRI rescue swimmers responded to the scene, but other rescue services were unavailable due to loadshedding affecting digital communication.

The NSRI rescue craft located two of the teenagers in the backbreaker surf zone clinging to Yon's body board. Both boys were hypothermic and in shock, but rescuers transported them safely to shore.

Read also

Plett shark attack victim Kimon Bisogno showered with tributes as world mourns her passing

The boys told rescue personnel that their friend, the third boy, managed to swim to shore while Yon was assisting them. However, the boys eventually lost sight of Yon.

The rescue team found Yon in the mid-break surf zone, but he was unfortunately lifeless. Rescuers exhausted all measures to resuscitate Yon, who was declared dead at the scene.

South Africans react to Reza Yon's heroic death

South Africans celebrated Yon's bravery on social media.

Here are some comments:

@LizMcmurdo commented:

"Hats off.RIP, brave soul."

@ruandehart added:

"A true Cape Town hero"

@wglrH said:

"Men aren't not praised for their goods deeds... rather being snubbed... hence my surprise"

@funnyhowlife claimed:

"A hero."

@KbkKgalegi wished:

"May his soul remain forever blessed."

Family dogs maul 10-year-old to death, shocked South Africans say pit bulls should not be pets

Previously Briefly News reported that an Eastern Cape boy was viciously mauled by his family's pit bulls on Monday, 26 September, while inside the family home.

Read also

Senegal ferry disaster town remembers 20 years after 1,900 drowned

According to authorities, the two pit bulls attacked the boy from Gelvandale in the presence of two other children. The other two minors were found unharmed by police officers who arrived at the scene at around 1 pm.

Upon arriving at the scene after being alerted about the incident, police officers shot both the dogs inside the house, TimesLIVE reported.

Source: Briefly News