The City of Cape Town launched their festive-season baywatch by recruiting 680 lifeguards to beaches and swimming pools.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis launched the drowning prevention plan alongside Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayco member for public services and health, at the Lifeguard Clubhouse on Clifton 4th beach on Monday.
As part of its drowning prevention campaign, the City is deploying 340 beach lifeguards and 343 swimming pool lifeguards.
Lifeguards will be on duty at 29 different beaches, tidal pools, stretches of coast, and all public swimming pools between 10am and 6pm daily.
Partners include Lifesaving Cape Town, with 14 clubs along the coast, and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), which is on standby to make emergency deployments of rescue swimmers and vessels operating from eight base stations across the city.
Hill-Lewis said the City has seen an improvement in drowning statistics over the past three years, with 14 drownings and 80 rescues recorded along the coast in the 2023/24 season. There were no drownings at municipal swimming pools.
Van der Ross warned bathers to stick to safe swimming zones, adding: “Even more heart-breaking is that all of the fatal drownings last season happened outside designated bathing areas, or during times when lifeguards were not on duty.”
The City wants to remind the public of four golden rules when in and around water:
– Always swim at a beach with lifeguards on duty, and between their red and yellow flags
– Do not leave children unsupervised in or around water
– Do not swim under the influence of alcohol
– Beware of rip currents. If you're caught in a current, try to stay calm and signal for help
robin.francke@iol.co.za