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Brave Tourist.
0/11/2005 10:47 AM - (SA)
British tourist rescues two, but one child drowns
11-11-2005
WITHIN five days of setting foot on South African soil for the first time, a British citizen braved a treacherous rip tide at Kogel Bay on Friday to save a terrified child from drowning. Three children were saved from the tide, but a fourth drowned.
Jackie Kruger, who runs the Hook Line and Sinker Seafood Restaurant at Pringle Bay, told DistrictMail that her daughter, Lee-Ann, arrived there on Monday last week with her British husband, Keith Groom.
This is Keith's first visit to the country and on Friday the Krugers took a break from the restaurant to spend some quality time together with their daughter and her husband at the Kogel Bay beach.
They arrived there shortly before lunch time, started a fire and set up two fishing rods on the beach.
A bus full of excited school children from Khayelitsha arrived shortly afterwards.
There were about 40 children in the bus and within minutes the children were swarming onto the beach.
Four children ventured into the water, although there was a strong rip tide.
Jackie says her husband, Stef, was standing at the rods, when she suddenly saw him rip off his T-shirt and shout to their son-in-law, Keith, to come and help him.
Stef swam in and managed to bring one child to safety as Keith rescued a second child.
Stef swam in a second time, and although by now tiring, managed to save another child.
By this time, however, the fourth child had been swept to sea beyond the breakers and the two women, fearing for their husbands' safety, stopped them from swimming into the strong rip current again.
Unable to save the fourth child
Police and members of the rescue services arrived at the scene soon afterwards, but were unable to save the fourth child.
Her body washed up on the beach about half an hour later.
She was identified as Yonela Lujabe (13) of the Umtha Public Primary School in Khayelitsha.
Tragically, the incident happened just a day before the City was to place lifeguards at all the resorts for the summer holiday season.
A second drowning incident was reported on Saturday at 17:00 at the tidal pool at Klippiesbaai along the R44 coastal road.
The person who drowned was David George (19), of Elsies River.
According to the police, his girlfriend had pulled him out of the tidal pool at Klippiesbaai and had applied CPR.
Mr George was rushed to the Hottentots Holland Hospital, but died at about 20:00.
Inspector Gellie Geldenhuys of the South Afrian Police Services in Gordon's Bay said a post mortem would be completed soon to determine the cause of Mr George's death.
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