Merensky learner saves boy from drowning at KZN beach
Joshua Botes (18) risked his life to save a 9-year-old boy from drowning at a Kwa-Zulu Natal beach during the festive season.

TZANEEN – Merensky Agricultural Academy learner, Joshua Botes, risked his life over the festive season saving a 9-year-old boy from drowning at a beach in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Joshua (18) and his two younger brothers, Drico (11) and Levi (13) were at Sea Park a non-swimming beach that is not manned by lifeguards, when they witnessed two brothers swept away by the waves.
Father of the three brave boys, Brendon Dougall told the Herald that the tragic incident happened after “a family was sitting on the beach when one of their children got swept out while swimming in the shoreline.
“The child’s brother (18) jumped into the water to save him, but due to the rough sea conditions and strong rip currents, they both got into difficulty. The brothers were swept out far, and the family was screaming for help. That’s when my son, Joshua, jumped into the water and swam out to the boys.”
When Joshua got to the boys, the eldest boy said to him: ‘Leave me and save my brother’. Joshua had no choice, and he grabbed the younger boy and began to swim back to shore. But, on the way, it became more difficult for Joshua to reach the shore. The current was strong, and Joshua at one point thought he was going to die.
Then, out of nowhere, a freak wave appeared and pushed them to shore. In the interim, Levi had run to a nearby house to seek help, while Drico gave Joshua moral support by shouting words of encouragement from the shore.
The wave washed them onto a group of rocks, allowing Levi and Drico to help them to shore. Joshua was exhausted when he got to shore. He had been scratched and bruised from the rocks, and it was physically impossible for him to go back into the ocean to rescue the second person. Unfortunately, the elder brother could not be saved.
Dougall, who is based in KZN, told the Herald that he is proud of his boys, especially Joshua who risked his life to save the brothers, even though he could have died himself.
“They were courageous without me being there to guide them.” He refers to Joshua as a well-disciplined young man who does well at school. “The greatest lesson we learnt is that never doubt your God. We are 100% sure that it is God who saved him. We have raised our kids to be kind-hearted.”
Levi is a Gr 8 learner at Merensky, and Drico is a Gr 6 learner.