A total of seven people, including a 14-year-old boy, have drowned in the Western Cape since Saturday.
According to a report by Law Enforcement spokesman, Wayne Dyason, the teen from Parow got into difficulty while swimming at Lagoon Beach in Milnerton on 22 December shortly after 6pm.
“Law Enforcement officers on the scene alerted all roleplayers and there was a co-ordinated response. Unfortunately, despite an exhaustive search on sea and land, there has not been any recovery of the body as yet.”
Police spokeswoman, Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana, says the search for the teenager’s body is ongoing.
On Sunday, a 52-year-old fisherman from Manenberg died when the boat he was in capsized near Soetwater.
NSRI Kommetjie station commander Ian Klopper says four men made it to shore, but two of them went back to find the missing man in the surf and recovered his body.
“CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) efforts were conducted on a 52-year-old man from Manenberg, but sadly after CPR efforts were exhausted, he was declared deceased on the scene by paramedics,” he says.
The drowned man’s two sons, aged 18 and 20, were treated for injuries and two men, aged 18 and 25, from Parow, were treated for injuries.”
On Christmas Day five drownings were reported in Strand, Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna and Kleinmond.
“A 20-year-old male swimming at Deep Blue on Strand Beach got into difficulty in the surf.
“He was recovered from the surf and lifeguards commenced CPR, but unfortunately the patient was eventually declared deceased by medical personnel on the scene,” says Dyason.
He says while beach-goers have been well-behaved, alcohol consumption on beaches is still proving to be a problem.
“Alcohol remains a problem and the high numbers of confiscations bear testimony to this.
“Officers continue to show a zero-tolerance approach to alcohol on the beaches and members of the public are warned that if they choose to disobey this rule, their alcohol will be confiscated and they will be fined.
“From 1 to 20 December, 4 458 bottles, translating to 2 780.37 litres, were confiscated.”