Swimming lessons given to children from a young age may mean the difference between life and death.
With water safety a high priority, the recent launch of a learn to swim programme at the Athlone swimming pool highlights the need for water safety taught to young children.
Mayco member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross encourages the youth to be diligent in learning about safety and survival while swimming.
“There have been 19 drownings at our beaches over the festive season alone,” she says, adding that the majority of the drownings are due to swimmers getting caught in rip currents or swimming outside of designated areas.
“We should not underestimate the impact of these programmes, which may lead to many lives being saved in the future. More so, swimming offers many other health benefits in addition to being an enjoyable activity,” says Van der Ross.
Panic and not being able to confidently swim are some of the dangers, she says.
Noting that it was not only the swimming pools and beaches that posed a risk, officials urged children and parents to also be careful around buckets, baths and any other collection points of water.
These efforts aim to ensure that lifesaving skills are taught to children from a young age. Not only is it a means to save a life, but, in the future, it could be a skill used to save another.
Having been passionate about lifesaving from a young age, and involved in the industry along with her family for many years, Western Cape Minister for Social Development Sharna Fernandez says swimming is a skill you will never forget.
“There are 800 drownings in South Africa annually, approximately 600 of which are children. The Western Cape ranks third as the province with the highest number of drownings,” she says, urging parents to encourage their children to learn how to swim.
The City has implemented survival swimming lessons at some of its pools already, with the Athlone initiative being the most recent.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is assisting in the initiative.
City lifeguards also teach water awareness, swimming and basic first aid.
There are 35 municipal pools across the City which makes learning to swim accessible. Some of the pools already offer the learn-to-swim programme, with a few done in collaboration with the NSRI.
The Recreation and Parks Department aims to roll out the programme at all open municipal pools in the future.
