Delta 1 Rescue Diving receives equipment from Sasol in Secunda

SECUNDA – Sasol handed over diving equipment to Delta 1 Rescue Diving, a non-profit organisation, at the Sasol Recreation Club on Tuesday, 11 May.

Sasol has been supporting its fence-line communities in the area through its Social Impact department by investing in several projects and non-profit organisations (NPO), the government and institutions of learning as well as community structures.

Ms Sizakele Masilela, Sasol Secunda Chemicals Operations’ communications specialist, said the social impact donation programme deals with donation requests from various community structures.

“The applications for donations go through a screening and evaluation process to check compliance with our donation guidelines and if the organisations qualify to receive donations from Sasol,” said Ms Masilela.

Delta 1 Rescue Diving NPO applied for donations from Sasol to buy diving equipment because the demand for Delta 1’s services in the Mpumalanga area increased.

Delta 1 was established by Mr Andries Lee, a former explosives technician and commercial class 4-diver of the police.

Mr Lee was the only diver in the Gert Sibande District when he formed Delta 1. He has a passion to help the community with diving services because of the high volume of drowning and missing person cases.

Delta 1 operates in the Gert Sibande District that includes Secunda, eMbalenhle, Evander, Kinross, Leslie, Lebohang, Bethal, eMzinoni, Kriel, Standerton, Ermelo, Delmas and Charl Cilliers, as well as areas in the rest of Mpumalanga.

The team of Delta 1 Rescue Diving has saved more than 30 lives and recovered more than 260 bodies over the last three years.

Ms Rethabile Ndjibu, manager of Social Impact at Sasol, said they are thankful for the chance to support such a noble course.

She realised there is a need for such a diving unit when she heard on the news that the body of a young woman from the Free State was found in a river and she thought about the people who have to go out and search for missing people in rivers and dams.

“Children grow up and they cannot swim, but as a child, you think you can,” said Ms Ndjbu.

“When I grew up, I became aware of situations of kids swimming in unauthorised areas, to hear later that they have drowned or are missing.

“We need a team of qualified divers like Delta 1, thank you for letting us support you.”

Mr Jaco van der Merwe, marketing manager of Delta 1 Rescue Diving, said sometimes it takes the team two, three or even four days to find a body because the water in rivers and dams is often very dark.

He thanked Sasol for the donation and said it enables Delta 1 Rescue Diving to supply hope in very dark situations to the families involved when someone drowns or goes missing.