Humble hero saves child from drowning
Umkomaas resident Ryan Kleingeld responded immediately.
On the evening of January 4, a Pennington woman was at the beach when she noticed a lot of activity near the water.
“All of a sudden, a man started screaming ‘drowning’. I realised a child was in trouble and that the lifeguards had just gone off duty,” she said.
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Fortunately for the child, Umkomaas resident Ryan Kleingeld responded immediately.
“He showed no hesitation in going to the aid of the child,” said the woman.
Ryan, a former Scottburgh High pupil, was a member of the school’s water polo team and as such is a fairly strong swimmer.
“As I parked the car, I saw someone in the water with their arms in the air, being pulled deeper into the water,” he said.
“There was no time to think – I just acted.”
A small crowd had gathered, and they thronged Ryan when he returned the child safely to shore, all eager to congratulate him on saving a life.
“Everyone was shaking my hand and commending me so because of the crowd I didn’t actually get to see the victim’s family,” he said.
The woman who witnessed the incident later told the Mail that the child’s grateful family had in fact approached her, looking for Ryan in order to thank him personally for saving their child.
“I’m just thankful that I was in the right place at the right time,” said the humble hero.
In a separate incident, tragedy struck at Scottburgh’s main beach on January 2 when a four-year-old child drowned in the lagoon.
A holidaymaker noticed the little boy in difficulty in the lagoon at about 3.50pm.
“She immediately entered the water and brought him ashore,” said Scottburgh Saps communications officer, Captain Adam Francis.
The lifeguards were alerted and began CPR.
Once paramedics arrived, a full advanced life support resuscitation was initiated.
“The child’s condition however deteriorated and he was declared dead at the scene,” said Netcare 911 media liaison officer, Shawn Herbst.
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