Young heroes prevent drowning
BLAIRGOWRIE - Neighbours came to the aid of a domestic worker who yelled for help when she ended up in the pool.
Four children and a domestic worker averted a tragedy when they saved a woman who could not swim after she fell into a neighbour’s pool on 8 December.
The worker apparently fell into the pool of the home where she works. She could not swim and started screaming for help.
Michaela and Gabriella Takkos were visiting Ariel and Samuel van Musschenbroek in Blairgowrie when they heard the woman’s screams. Florence Sibanda, the Van Musschenbroek’s domestic worker, told Randburg Sun they saw the worker struggling in the pool.
“She yelled that she could not swim. She must have fallen in because her shoes and towels were floating in the pool,” she said.
The group tried to gain access to the house but found it an impossible task. A gate had to be opened and no one else was at home, Sibanda said. “We saw a security car up the road and shouted for help. They had a master key for the small gate and could open it.”
Sinanda and the children helped pull the worker out of the pool. She was exhausted but so grateful.
“We stayed with her until she seemed better. When she asked me to walk home with her that afternoon, she was still in shock.”
Sinanda and the children, who rescued the drowning woman without hesitating for a moment, are true heroes.
Drowning incidents increase during summer and the festive season.
City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services’ spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi, said statistics indicate that a huge number of drowning incidents happen at home.
In the past year, EMS has responded to over 10 drowning incidents in the Diepsloot area alone. The department has recorded and responded to 65 drowning and near drowning incidents between September last year and February this year.
For any life-threatening emergencies call EMS on 10177 or 011 375 5911.
