Brother’s plea to lifeguards

The family of the man that drowned at Salmon Bay on December 28 last year, is pleading with lifeguards and rescue services to do another water patrol search.

“It has been too long, we want to know what is happening with the search,” said Lucky Magwaza.

Magwaza’s 18-year-old brother, Sabelo, drowned when he and his friends went swimming at Salmon Bay.

The conditions were rough and Magwaza said his brother could not swim very well.

“It is true that he should not have gone there for a swim because there are no lifeguards,” he said.

He said his family was on the beach at Ballito when lifeguards notified them that their brother had drowned.

“I had to take the taxi home to Etete to tell my father,” said Magwaza.

Sabelo would have been in matric this year.

“We just want to know what is happening with the search. If the lifeguards can just go out one more time to look for our brother,” said Magwaza.

He said his mother is still trying to cope with the loss of her son.

KwaDukuza lifeguard supervisor Bongani Xulu said they sympathised with the family and would be willing to do another water search to help bring relief and comfort to the family but cautions that due to natural forces at play there is a strong possibility that they may never find the body.

“The drowning happened a long time ago and the decomposition process makes it highly unlikely that any remains will be found,” said Xulu.

“The senior lifeguard stationed at Clarke Bay is also the family’s neighbour and as such is also taking strain and has been going above and beyond to try and find any remains,” said Xulu.