A group of 11 township men on a mission to curb drowning incidents over the festive season has started the first-ever black lifeguard club in the city.
The Eastern Beach Surf Lifesaving Club received the green light from Lifesaving South Africa as a new East London surfing and lifeguard club on April 26.
Apart from lifesaving duties, the swimming lessons they are planning to give young and old will be free of charge. The 11 members in their club hail from Mdantsane, Scenery Park, Ziphunzana and New Brighton in Port Elizabeth.
Despite not having public swimming pools in their areas where they reside, these fitness junkies, who range in age from 20 to 51, have committed themselves to using Eastern Beach and the Joan Harrison Swimming Complex opposite Selborne Primary, to teach other potential swimmers the skills of swimming.
Some of the club members are also lifeguards hired by Buffalo City Metro and are already operating at Eastern Beach.
Club secretary Lukhanyo Xenti said: “Our club is the first black lifesaving club to be established in East London.
“There is only one club operating in East London and they operate at the Nahoon Beach, which is why we saw the need to establish a club that would help black people to learn how to swim as they are the people who are affected by drowning at Eastern Beach particularly.”
Xenti said some club members had learnt how to swim at Joan Harrison pool and were now qualified lifeguards who hoped to train more lifeguards through the new club.
The club members also conduct patrols and assist the hired lifeguards during weekdays and weekends.
“We established the club in January and we also established our constitution. We want to help people and the benefit and would also be to assist those who are interested in becoming lifeguards.
“We want the public to know that there is a club at Eastern Beach where they can bring children and old people to learn how to swim.
“They should also know that when they are in East London, they will be safe, there are lifeguards who are fully operational,” Xenti said.
Another member, Siseko Dyantyi, said it was of major concern to them that there were no swimming pools in townships.
“We had people that we were training who have quit now because they do not have money to travel to Joan Harrison swimming pool.
“There is a big need for black people to have these resources where they live because if we did have such facilities, we would send our guys to teach people in those facilities,” Dyantyi said.
“We want to introduce water sports to the black community because we do a number of other sports here,” he said. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
City’s new lifesaving club celebrates historic launch
The Eastern Beach Surf Lifesaving Club received the green light from Lifesaving South Africa as a new East London surfing and lifeguard club on April 26.
Apart from lifesaving duties, the swimming lessons they are planning to give young and old will be free of charge. The 11 members in their club hail from Mdantsane, Scenery Park, Ziphunzana and New Brighton in Port Elizabeth.
Despite not having public swimming pools in their areas where they reside, these fitness junkies, who range in age from 20 to 51, have committed themselves to using Eastern Beach and the Joan Harrison Swimming Complex opposite Selborne Primary, to teach other potential swimmers the skills of swimming.
Some of the club members are also lifeguards hired by Buffalo City Metro and are already operating at Eastern Beach.
Club secretary Lukhanyo Xenti said: “Our club is the first black lifesaving club to be established in East London.
“There is only one club operating in East London and they operate at the Nahoon Beach, which is why we saw the need to establish a club that would help black people to learn how to swim as they are the people who are affected by drowning at Eastern Beach particularly.”
Xenti said some club members had learnt how to swim at Joan Harrison pool and were now qualified lifeguards who hoped to train more lifeguards through the new club.
The club members also conduct patrols and assist the hired lifeguards during weekdays and weekends.
“We established the club in January and we also established our constitution. We want to help people and the benefit and would also be to assist those who are interested in becoming lifeguards.
“We want the public to know that there is a club at Eastern Beach where they can bring children and old people to learn how to swim.
“They should also know that when they are in East London, they will be safe, there are lifeguards who are fully operational,” Xenti said.
Another member, Siseko Dyantyi, said it was of major concern to them that there were no swimming pools in townships.
“We had people that we were training who have quit now because they do not have money to travel to Joan Harrison swimming pool.
“There is a big need for black people to have these resources where they live because if we did have such facilities, we would send our guys to teach people in those facilities,” Dyantyi said.
“We want to introduce water sports to the black community because we do a number of other sports here,” he said. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
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