Lee Zhao and his wife Juan almost drowned in the estuary in Stilbaai East on Saturday, March 12. They were rescued by a passer-by who happened to hear their cries for help. The couple has since returned to thank their rescuer in person.

According to Zhao, neither he nor his wife can swim and they only played in the estuary because it was low tide.

“Suddenly the water felt deep and we were swept away by the ocean currents,” he says.

“We struggled for about five minutes to stay afloat, but Juan started drowning and my strength started to give in. I kept screaming for help and luckily for us, Patrick was in the proximity and he heard me.”

In a previous article, Patric Jonnson told how he heard screams for help while out on a walk. He saw a male person in trouble in the water. He initially thought the man had a dog with him because he could see hair in front of him in the water. It was in fact Zhao’s wife that had sunk below the water-level.

The couple was rescued and rushed to hospital for treatment.

Zhao approached the South Cape Forum after an article that appeared in the newspaper. He looked up each word in Chinese, because the article was in Afrikaans.

He wanted to know if the newspaper had the address and contact details of Jonnson, because he wanted to thank him personally.

The newspaper arranged a meeting at the parking area leading to the estuary.  It was both a joyous and emotional moment when the Zhao couple met Jonnson and his wife Johanna.

For Jonnson the meeting allowed him to get closure.

“The last time I saw them was when they were put in the ambulance on a stretcher. Now I could see for myself that they are okay.”

He added that the NSRI and ambulances were quick to respond.

“I was especially worried about the woman, who was in a very bad condition.”

To express his gratitude, Zhao handed Jonnson a gift bag. When he later opened the package, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he found a large amount of cash with a short note of appreciation.

“There is no way I can accept the money, but Lee is happy that I am donating it to the NSRI in Stilbaai,” Jonnson says.

He invited the Zhao couple to visit them one day and suggested they could go swimming. Zhao shook his head and said: “Never again!”