The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in KwaZulu-Natal says it is working hard on its drowning prevention programmes, especially in rural areas.
To prevent further drownings and loss of life, the organisation is using World Drowning Prevention Day to raise awareness around the issue.
According to the NSRI, more than 1 477 people drown in South Africa every year.
Siyabonga Mthethwa is a drowning prevention instructor at the NSRI.
“We are actually having instructors in the whole country where our instructors visit different communities especially schools and community groups and that is where we facilitate our water safety education. And we also do survival swim where we take people into water to learn some survival skills. We try to tell people about World Drowning Prevention Day and what we do and what can we do to improve drowning prevention measures.”
The NSRI has designated several locations to be lit up in blue this week, serving as a tribute to those who tragically lost their lives to drowning and as a visible commitment to preventing future incidents.
