Heroes awarded for selfless courage
Several locals received accolades, and Lifesaving South Africa honoured the Ngeleka brothers, Phakamani and Mqobi from Nzimakwe.
Local heroes have been awarded for going the extra mile for saving lives in trouble at sea.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) held its 57th annual awards evening and AGM at the Capital Zimbali in Ballito recently.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said this event was a celebration of their devoted volunteers and other courageous individuals who selflessly risk their lives to rescue others in South African waters.
Gary Wolmarans of NSRI Station 20 Shelly Beach and Gert du Plessis of NSRI Station 32 Port Edward both received the Meritorious Service Award.
The men were recognised for their bravery, determination and expertise during a challenging operation on May 24, which continued into the next morning.
NSRI Shelly Beach worked with NSRI Port Edward and rescued four crew members from the sinking yacht, Tipsy, off the Eastern Cape coastline.
Tipsy took on water after reportedly colliding with a container at sea. The crew was returning to Durban from East London after the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race 2024 (from Durban to East London) when trouble struck.
This was the longest NSRI Rigid Hull Inflatable Craft rescue operation in the history of the organisation, and the NSRI Port Edward rescue craft Spirit of Steve covered a distance of about 158 nautical miles.
Wolmarans, among others, was also awarded the internationally recognised Higgins and Langley Memorial Awards for the swift water rescues during the April 2022 floods.
At the Lifesaving South Africa awards, also held recently, several locals received accolades.
Brothers save the day
Lifesaving South Africa honoured the Ngeleka brothers, Phakamani and Mqobi from Nzimakwe, with the 2024 Bravery Award of Commendation.
This award recognises exceptional acts of courage.
On November 30, 2023, the brothers went the extra mile to rescue a bather in trouble using the pink rescue buoys.
The siblings had come down for a swim at Glenmore Beach, Munster when they noticed a man in difficulty at sea.
With no lifeguards in sight, the two grabbed the two pink rescue buoys and launched into the surf.
They then used the buoys to help to keep the bather afloat.
Another local, Sphiwe Mbele, a former lifeguard, also launched into the surfline to assist the brothers.
At the time, Laminon reported that while they were bringing the bather to shore through the surfline, using the pink buoys to aid their floatation, at least 50 bystanders, among them teenagers, formed a human chain from the beach into the water.
Local man hailed for saving swimmer
Lifesaving South Africa also awarded Lee Maree the prestigious International Award, the Mountbatten Medal, for his rescue at Oslo Beach in February 2023.
It was for Maree’s demonstration of bravery and skill rescuing a drowning student.
Maree, who had done lifesaving in his younger days, executed the rescue without any buoyancy aids or equipment during a 600m swim in turbulent surf.
South African lifesavers have achieved remarkable success, winning the Mountbatten Medal four times in the past six years.
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