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Safety precautions follow drowning
News Date: 10 October 2008
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The deceased, Mr Vhutshilo Lebepe, drowned shortly after diving in at the deep end of the pool. This incident occurred around 15:30.
According to local police spokesperson Capt Maano Sadiki, the man from Vleifontein was visiting a friend in Tshikota when they decided to go for a swim. Despite being warned earlier not to go to the deep end of the pool by a municipal official who saw that the man could not swim, the man nonetheless dived into the pool and drowned. An inquest docket was opened by the police.
Municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi said this week that the incident was unfortunate. To his knowledge, he said, this is the first time that someone has drowned at the swimming pool. He said that although they did not have people specifically trained in rescue and first aid at the pool, the municipality would definitely look at ways of improving the situation.
At present, there are two municipal officials on duty at the pool - a supervisor and a person whose job it is to identify people who struggle with swimming and inform them not to venture into deeper waters. Neither of them, however, is trained to assist in an emergency rescue or with first aid.Written by
Andries van Zyl
Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.
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