As the search continues for a boy aged 12 or 13 who is feared to have drowned in Coffee Bay earlier this week, concerned OR Tambo District Municipality bosses have warned of the unpredictability of the untamed Wild Coast shoreline.
They have appealed to bathers to avoid swimming at unmonitored beaches during the festive season.
OR Tambo municipal spokesperson Ncebakazi Kolwane said the incident involving the boy occurred on Tuesday.
“The incident is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities,” Kolwane said.
“Following the report, search operations were immediately activated.
“In accordance with standard emergency response protocols, the operation has since transitioned from the rescue phase to a search-and-recovery phase, because the initial rescue window has concluded.
“Efforts to locate the missing [boy] remain ongoing.
“At this stage, no further details can be confirmed, pending the conclusion of investigations, in the interest of accuracy and out of respect for the affected family.”
It is believed the incident happened while the lifeguards recruited to ensure the safety of bathers at beaches within the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) municipal area are at loggerheads with the local authority over their working conditions.
They are demanding permanent employment and contracts.
We hope this is the last time [there are reported drownings] and we can minimise fatalities
— Mayor Nyaniso Nelani
KSD mayor Nyaniso Nelani said he had held an emergency meeting with traditional leaders in the Coffee Bay area because of the stand-off with the lifeguards.
“My heart is heavy.
“We received reports that there have been drownings in Coffee Bay.
“We have just launched our festive season plan as the security cluster in KSD to counter such things from happening,” Nelani said.
“I met with traditional and community leaders so we can work together.
“We hope this is the last time [there are reported drownings] and we can minimise fatalities.”
He said he did not want to elaborate on the lifeguard issue until the situation had been resolved.
Kolwane said the responsibility of employing lifeguards lay with local municipalities including decisions on deployment numbers and beach-level operations, and that the district council only played a supportive and co-ordinating role, particularly during peak periods.
OR Tambo mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana urged residents and visitors to beaches across the district to swim only at designated, lifeguard-staffed beaches.
“At this stage, no conclusions are being drawn about the circumstances [of the boy’s disappearance on Tuesday].
“Investigations and response efforts are ongoing.
“However, because lives are at stake, we are using this moment to remind everyone, residents and visitors alike, of general ocean safety principles that apply to all beach bathing anywhere along our coastline,” he said.
“The safety of our people is not negotiable.
“That is why fire and rescue services and the SAPS K9 were activated immediately and are responding with urgency.
“Every minute matters.
“We love our coastline.
“But the ocean is powerful, unpredictable and unforgiving.
“Natural heritage sites like Hole in the Wall are not controlled swimming beaches.
“Conditions can change in seconds, without warning.”
He urged people not to swim at beaches that did not have lifeguards, and to never swim alone.
Beachgoers should not go into the water after consuming alcohol and parents or caretakers should keep children nearby at all times, he added.
He also advised people not to swim if the sea conditions were dangerous.
Daily Dispatch
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