Johannesburg - It was meant to be a happy family getaway for the Ismail family at the Alpine Heath Resort in Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal.
Instead, parents Azaad Ismail and Alia Ismail Bayat are now having to plan their 7-year-old son, Uthman’s, funeral this week, while their 9-year-old son, Moin, fights for his life in ICU in hospital.
The two boys, both from Hartley Road Primary School in KwaZulu-Natal, got into difficulty and one drowned while swimming at the resort last weekend.
Uthman died on Sunday.
Sadly, this isn’t an isolated case.
It is one of several tragic drowning incidents to have occurred recently in South Africa.
Last month, the 1-year-old son of former Springbok forward Jannie du Plessis died in a drowning incident.
The tragedy occurred on the same day the former Springboks star marked his 39th birthday, but circumstances surrounding the child's death are unclear.
Earlier this year, two women at Trafalgar Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast drowned, while in Kleinmond in the Western Cape a man drowned at Palmiet Beach.
A 12-year-old girl also drowned in a tidal pool in Cape Town, while another man went missing at an inlet river to the Vaal Dam in the Free State.
With the festive season approaching, and with hundreds of thousands of South Africans gearing up for holidays, safety experts have warned holidaymakers to exercise caution when swimming at beaches, swimming pools and rivers.
Dr Colleen Saunders, a senior lecturer in the Division of Emergency Medicine at UCT and the Scientific Advisory Committee chairperson for Lifesaving South Africa, said drowning incidents increase dramatically during the holidays and festive period.
“In South Africa, drowning is in the top five causes of unintentional injury deaths in all age groups,” Saunders told the Saturday Star this week.
“Our data from the Western Cape shows that, year round, public holidays in particular are a risky period, especially if it forms a long weekend.”
Saunders added that the increase in drowning incidents during the festive period is due to a number of factors.
“We obviously have increased exposure as more people enjoy our many water bodies and many people are on holiday and able to take full advantage of the warm weather by spending more time at the dam, beach or pool.
“We tend to let our hair down and indulge in alcohol a lot more at this time of year. We know that drinking alcohol greatly increases our risk of injury in general, and drowning in particular.”
Dr Jill Fortuin, a research specialist and the executive director of drowning prevention at the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), said December and January were particularly high-risk months for drowning.
“The data suggest during the warmer months, November to February, which coincides with the festive season, there is an increase in drownings. The months of December and January are particularly high, with a 100% increase compared to the months of February to November.
“The festive season is associated with warmer months and holidays. Increased water activities and the increase in risky behaviour such as alcohol consumption often poses risks for drownings to occur.
“Further to these, children are left unsupervised in aquatic environments and people swim in areas that are not patrolled by lifeguards.”
Fortuin added that high-risk behaviour was one of the main factors.
“The factors that affect drowning in South Africa are high-risk behaviour such as drinking alcohol whilst being in an aquatic environment, crossing bodies of water to access schools or churches, baptism, unsupervised children, no barriers, lack of swimming skills and water safety education.”
She said the NSRI was aware of several drowning fatalities that had occurred this month already.
“We are aware of multiple drowning fatalities that have occurred during the month of December, and our sincere condolences are conveyed to these families.”
Children are seemingly more at risk of drowning than adults, added Fortuin.
“Children don't have the cognitive ability to respond as quickly as adults, nor do they have the logical thought process as adults do, especially in high-stress environments such as when a drowning is in progress. In addition, their physical ability when in dangerous situations is far less competent than that of an adult.”
Helen Herbert, general manager of Lifesaving South Africa, agrees.
“Children are brave beyond their years and curious, and when left unsupervised they can get into difficulties in water very quickly. Drowning is not noisy, it is very silent,” said Herbert.
“Social gatherings can have many people around the pool/dam/river/beach, but if there is not a designated person specifically supervising the activities in the water, all water users are at risk of drowning. Social gatherings around water venues should not include the consumption of alcohol.”
According to Lifesaving South Africa, the highest incidences of drowning occur in December and January.
“I would not specifically tie this to the festive season, more to the peak summer months when schools are on holiday,” said Herbert.
“There is a steep increase in drownings from September through to the following March each year. This is the period of the year when pools are open, beaches are accessible and it is just so nice to get cool in the water.”
Saunders said there were a number of things that South Africans can do to avoid being put at risk while in the water.
“Don’t drink and swim. Young adult men in particular are very at risk of drowning. As a nation we’ve come a long way towards addressing drunk-driving, and most of us would stop a drunk friend from getting behind the wheel of a car.”
“Swim only where it is safe to do so. The best way to be sure it is safe is to swim where and when lifeguards are on duty – be it inland, at the coast or in a public swimming pool.
“Keep a close watch on young children around water. When we have large family gatherings or social events over the festive season, it is easy to assume that ’someone’ is watching the kids in the pool or at the beach. Always make sure there is a designated sober adult who knows they are responsible for keeping watch as children enjoy the water.”
“If you are travelling to friends or family, please remember that houses or hotels where you stay may be unfamiliar to your child and not have been child-proofed. Have a good look around for unsecured water bodies (ponds, pools, streams, water collection buckets) and think about how you can keep your child away from them when unsupervised.
“Lastly, if someone does get into trouble, remember the rhyme “Reach, Throw, Row, Don’t go”. Your first attempt to rescue them should be to reach out with your arms, or pool noodle or something that floats to pull them to safety. If they are too far away, throw them a floatation device (such as the NSRI’s Pink Buoys at some high-risk locations). If there is a boat or safe floatation device that you can use, you can ’row’ to rescue them. If you are not a strong swimmer and cannot safely reach them in any of these ways, don’t go – you will become a drowning victim yourself. In this case, get help from a capable adult as fast as you can.”