A day out at Blouberg Beach turned tragic for a Kuils River family after their 14-year-old son was swept away at sea.
Heartbroken relatives of Tawana Musimurimwa gathered at the Table View beachfront on Saturday afternoon as rescue teams tried to find the body of the teen without success.
NSRI Melkbosstrand station commander, Peter O’Hanlon, says at 6.20pm the crew was activated after receiving information about the drowning.
WENT MISSING AT SEA: Tawana Musimurimwa, 14
Along with City of Cape Town lifesavers, the Health Department and Fire and Rescue
Services they embarked on the search for Tawana.
“On arrival on the scene, an extensive sea, air and shoreline search commenced, including rescue swimmers deployed into the surf conducting free dive sweeping line search efforts.
“Despite the extensive search, no sign has been found of the 14-year-old male, who reportedly got into difficulty in the surf while swimming and was swept out to sea by rip currents before disappearing in the surf line,” says O’Hanlon.
Uncle Lloyd Madhinha, 37, explains that along with his 17-year-old brother, Tawana had spent the day on the beach with another uncle who had recently returned from Johannesburg.
“His uncle had just returned and they were so excited. When we got there, witnesses told us he was swept away by a big wave and people have tried to help him but couldn’t get him.”
The search was called off shortly after sunset.
SHOCKED: Concerned family. Picture: Leon Knipe
On Sunday police divers could be seen on the beach but the sea was too rough for the search.
Lloyd says the Grade 9 pupil from Parow High was born in Zimbabwe and had come to Cape Town at eight months old.
“We are still in shock and waiting for them to retrieve his body,” he says.