Against all odds

At the tender age of 17 a hit and run accident left KwaDukuza Lifeguard supervisor Bongani Xulu without his left leg – shattering his dreams of being ranked among the best surfers in the world.
“When I woke after the operation I looked at where my leg used to be and I wished I had died in the accident rather than live with one leg. Ten years later however I feel I have been blessed with a deeply fulfilling life,” said Bongani.
The Groutville local now heads a team of 46 lifeguards, is responsible for all the beaches between Tinley Manor and Zimbali and is well known for his role as a judge at the Mr Price Pro.
It took Bongani only eight months to be able to swim confidently again after the accident. His tenacity, love for the water and encouragement from his mentor Mike Smith helped him return to the surfing world.
“Mike showed me that I could still get involved in surfing by being a judge in competitions and teaching others how to swim and surf,” said Bongani.
Since taking over as the lifeguard supervisor, Bongani implemented numerous changes to reduce the number of drownings at local beaches. He prides himself on having senior lifeguards with skipper’s licenses and said the rest of the team will be going for their licences soon.
“I do not want us to appear on Carte Blanche like the previous squad because of a high number of drownings. So I always instil the values of discipline and professionalism to my team.”
The lifeguards are in their busiest time of the year so some of their programmes such as the Learn to Swim are on hold until the festive season is over. Bongani is the lead instructor for the team that teachers young children to swim free of charge. He said they were hoping to discover future lifeguards through the project.
“My passion has always been sharing my skills with others and I am able to do that through this programme. I also do motivational speaking and hope that people who hear my story will see that there is a light at the end of every tunnel.”