The City’s lifeguards play an important role in creating a safe environment at the various beaches and pools throughout the metropole. Lifeguards assist with many successful rescues during the summer months.
The Recreation and Parks Department allocated 280 seasonal beach lifeguards and 278 seasonal swimming pool lifeguards for the 2021/22 summer season. These lifeguards have been offering services to the public from 1 October last year at different beaches, tidal pools and stretches of coast across the City. Lifeguards will continue with daily duties from 10:00 until 18:00 until 18 April 2022.
‘We are grateful and proud to have such dedicated lifeguards doing duty in difficult circumstances on our beaches and at our swimming pools. Our lifeguards are City ambassadors and play an important role as the interface between the City and residents. Many of us visited beaches and pools during the hot summer days and it is good to know that lifeguards are present to lend a helping hand when someone is in distress. We would like to thank our lifeguards for their service. We are still expecting many more summer days when residents will visit beaches and pools and the presence of lifeguards offers a safer swimming environment,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia Van Der Ross.
Residents are reminded that although lifeguards will be on duty until 18 April 2022, their safety and that of minors in their care must remain top priority in and around water. Beachgoers should not swim in isolated areas where lifeguards are not present and where the likelihood for rip currents to occur is high. The safest place to swim is between the designated red and yellow flags when and where lifeguards are on duty.
The Recreation and Parks Department recorded 43 non-fatal and 23 fatal drownings along the coastline from 1 September last year up until 13 February 2022.
The City would once again like to remind beachgoers that alcohol is not allowed at beaches or at municipal swimming pools.
The collaboration and support between the services of Recreation and Parks, lifesaving clubs, the NSRI, Disaster Risk Management, Law Enforcement, Metro Police, Fire and Rescue, Traffic, Social Development (Identikidz), ambulance services, EMS/AMS Rescue helicopters, SAPS and the SAPS Dive Unit added to the visitor experience and highlighted the importance of each organisation in achieving our common goal to prevent drownings.
‘Let us acknowledge the important role of our lifeguards. Let us work together and assist them by adhering to the rules on beaches and at swimming pools so that we can create and maintain a safe environment together. Safety at our beaches and pools is everyone’s business,’ added Councillor Van Der Ross.
Source: City Of Cape Town