Durban - Founder and project manager of the Durban-based Siyasindisa Academy, Charles Khumalo, is using his passion for lifesaving to raise awareness and educate rural and township communities about water safety in order to curb drownings.
He said the non-profit organisation was dedicated to uplifting communities by providing water safety awareness, surfing, swimming and lifesaving lessons.
Khumalo said as a lifeguard he noticed that not all beaches had lifeguards, and dams and rivers in rural areas and townships didn’t have them at all. This often resulted in drownings, especially during the summer months when children played in rivers and dams.
Recognising the need for water safety education, Khumalo founded the Siyasindisa Academy (siyasindisa means “we save” in Zulu).
“We train children on the importance of water safety, the risks involved with swimming in open waters and, most importantly, how to assess the water and the current and to establish if it’s safe to swim,” he said.
The 37-year-old said he realised his passion to educate others when he got involved with Lifesaving SA as a lifeguard. This is the single registered lifeguarding body in South Africa with the international controlling body, the International Lifesaving Federation.
Khumalo, a voluntary member of Lifesaving SA, has been involved in Lifesaving SA Watersmart programmes since 2017. Lifesaving SA’s mission is to promote and provide effective control and management of aquatic safety in order to prevent loss of life from drowning.
Helen Herbert of Lifesaving SA said continuous water safety education offered to the public encouraged fun and safer aquatic activities, and therefore reduced the high incidence of preventable drowning.
“Drowning is becoming more and more of a concern, especially during the fatal flash floods we experienced in April 2022. We need to make the public aware about water safety,” she said.
Khumalo said it was important to know how to help a person who has got into distress while swimming.
He said the academy was teaching children not only to swim and surf but to canoe, as this was a valuable skill to have during disasters and flooding.
Khumalo said the academy had educated primary schoolchildren in Lamontville, KwaMashu, KwaDukuza and communities around the Inanda and Shongweni dams.
Schools can contact the Siyasindisa Academy or Lifesaving SA for the free water safety programme and the public can contact Khumalo for information on “learn to” programmes. Khumalo can be contacted at 067 721 7098.