Pennington Beach Drownings Leave One Dead and Three Missing on KZN South Coast
- Five people were swept out to sea at Pennington Beach on the KZN South Coast, leaving one person dead and three still missing
- Emergency services responded, rescuing one swimmer and recovering a body before the search was halted overnight and resumed on Friday morning.
- Authorities have urged the public to respect lifeguard warnings and swim only at protected beaches as safety concerns mount during the festive season
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Five people were swept out to sea at Pennington Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on 1 January 2025, leaving three people missing after one person was rescued and another body was recovered.
IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick spoke to Newzroom Afrika and said emergency services received a distress call shortly after 6 pm.
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Body recovered as the search continued.
“A coordinated search was immediately initiated, and during the operation, one body was recovered from the ocean,” Meyrick said.
Despite extensive efforts by lifeguards, rescue teams and police, three people remain unaccounted for. The search was suspended late on Thursday night due to deteriorating visibility and darkness, but operations resumed early on Friday morning.
Meyrick described the sea conditions at the time of the incident as not particularly dangerous but not ideal for swimming.
“Although it was a warm day, it was windy, the surf was rough, and the incident occurred late in the day as lifeguards were nearing a shift change,” she said.
She added that the small size of Pennington Beach presents additional challenges, as a smaller beach with a limited lifeguard team makes it extremely difficult to search for five people in distress at the same time.
Public urged to respect lifeguard warnings.
Meyrick urged beachgoers to exercise caution and to respect safety measures put in place by lifeguards.
“We ask members of the public to be mindful of the coastline and to swim only in areas that are clearly demarcated as safe by lifeguards,” she said.
She stressed that in emergencies, untrained individuals should not attempt water rescues.
“The best thing to do is to call for help immediately and avoid entering the water unless you are trained to do so. It is also important to remain on the scene to provide rescuers with information that could assist the search,” she said.
Meyrick encouraged the public to choose protected beaches that are flagged and staffed by lifeguards.
The search for the three missing individuals continues.
Festive season beach safety under renewed scrutiny
The tragedy comes amid ongoing public debate about beach safety during the festive season, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Concerns intensified after footage of Durban beaches went viral on social media in December, showing thousands of holidaymakers crowded in the water. The video, uploaded on 17 December 2025, showed people dancing, singing and standing shoulder to shoulder in crashing waves that stretched as far as the eye could see. While many online users celebrated the festive atmosphere, others raised serious questions about public safety, crowd control and whether beaches can remain safe when they become overcrowded.
NSRI raises alarm on rising drowning incidents
In response to rising concerns, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has repeatedly warned the public to remain vigilant, especially when children are near water. NSRI spokesperson Andrew Ingram previously cautioned that drowning incidents often happen silently and within seconds.
He stressed that constant supervision is critical and said the organisation had become increasingly concerned following a rise in water-related distress incidents involving children during the festive season.
Source: UGC
Previous articles on drowning
Previously, Briefly News reported that two best friends, both aged 11, tragically drowned in a dam behind Mega City in Duduza on Thursday. The boys, who lived in the Zamane Section near the dam, had gone missing the previous afternoon after returning home from school. An aunt who often cared for one of the boys, Samukelo Gift Frans, said her husband discovered clothing near the dam early Friday morning. This led to the heartbreaking discovery of the boys’ bodies in the water.
In a related incident, a Vaal teenager drowned after trying to rescue his friend. According to reports, his mother reported him missing on 13 January, and the South African Police Service conducted a search and rescue operation. It continued until 15 January, and his body was found outside of Boitumelo. The Emergency Management Services declared him dead. The police are investigating an inquest docket.
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Source: Briefly News
