The spirit of Ubuntu was on full display at a South Coast beach when a group of beachgoers rushed into the water to rescue about six distressed bathers from drowning, including two young boys who were bodyboarding. What began as an ordinary Christmas Day at Baggies Beach in Amanzimtoti quickly turned into a powerful display of courage, compassion and community when the boys found themselves in difficulty in the water at a non-bathing area. Just before 3pm, panic spread as onlookers realised the boys were struggling against the sea.
Amanzimtoti and Kingsburgh councillor André Beetge, who witnessed the incident, said community members showed remarkable humanity as several people dived in to help, despite the area being restricted to swimming. He said a call for help was made and lifeguards from Doonside Beach raced to the scene, with Amanzimtoti lifeguards dispatched to assist. Another eyewitness, Erin Welsh, wrote on Facebook that the two boys had been bodyboarding in what initially appeared to be calm, shallow water.
“Within seconds, the water became angry and a massive wave pulled them in. They lost one board and clung to the other, but the rip already had them and they eventually lost that too,” she wrote. When a family member realised what was happening, she shouted for help and local heroes, without a second thought, jumped in and held the boys, who were visibly exhausted from fighting the rip.
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Those men are real heroes without capes. Welsh said lifeguards later arrived by boat and assisted in getting the boys out of the water.
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