Summers in Grahamstown often reach over 30 degrees and swimming is a popular way of taking a break from the heat.
Summers in Grahamstown often reach over 30 degrees and swimming is a popular way of taking a break from the heat.
Pleasant as it may be, swimming remains an activity which must be approached with caution.
There has been more than one death by drowning reported this summer in and around Grahamstown, the latest being Anele Dayile who drowned in the Grey Dam in December.
The lack of a safe public swimming facility or proper safety measures like lifeguards at the nearby dams could be partly responsible for these deaths.
Mncedisi Boma, strategic manager and spokesperson for Makana municipality, agrees that there is a need for lifeguards in Grahamstown.
“In order for the municipality to implement lifeguards, or a public swimming pool, a request must go through the process of an integrated development plan (IDP),” Boma said.
The IDP is a five-year strategic plan that outlines both municipal strategies and budget.
If the community needs something – like a public swimming pool – they need to indicate that need to their ward councillor and the municipality can then explore the idea and make plans accordingly.
This process is reviewed annually. While the IDP offers a long-term solution, there remains a need for more immediate action.
According to Dave Bamber of the Bluewater Bay lifesaving club in Port Elizabeth, municipalities are responsible for lifesaving in all areas.
However, voluntary clubs have sprung up around the country as community members decided to take matters into their own hands and start clubs.
These clubs are set up entirely at the discretion of volunteers, resulting in some towns having lifesaving clubs and others not.
Currently there are no lifesaving clubs in Grahamstown.
“When stillwater lifesaving and surf lifesaving merge in August, the Bluewater Bay club plans to target a few cities and towns such as Grahamstown, Queenstown and Aliwal North in an attempt to start up clubs,” Bamber said.
With local children swimming unsupervised in the Grey Dam in the afternoons and without their parents’ knowledge, serious threats to their lives remain.
According to one such child, Ralph Israel, he and his friends try to swim in the shallows to avoid losing their footing.
“If there was a pool we would swim in it,” said Josh Davies, another one of the young boys who swims at the dam in the afternoons.
Currently Rhodes University education department staff, with the help of Carmen David, are offering free swimming lessons for students at the Winchester House swimming pool.
“Swimming is not just a sport, it's a life skill, and it is essential that as many people are safe and confident in the water as possible,” said Marion Walwyn, part-time lecturer at the education department.
For more information contact the department on 046 603 8383.
