LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA ANNUAL REPORT2020 WWW.LIFESAVING.CO.ZA PAGE 3 LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA - ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Lifesaving South Africa is the National Authority in the effort to prevent drowning and the Our Vision promotion and delivery of Lifesaving Sport in building an active and winning lifesaving sporting nation in South Africa. Lifesaving South Africa is the National Association for Lifesaving and Lifesaving Sport Our Mission in South Africa. In these roles Lifesaving South Africa leads, supports and partners with national and international organisations committed to drowning prevention, water safety supervision, emergency response and sport. In Remembrance Lifesaving South Africa celebrates the life and acknowledges the passing of members who were part of our family. 1 April 2019 – 31 March 2020 Basil Bridal - Marine Jason Bambi – Big Bay Bruce Kyrikides - durban Pro Georgia Nielson – Llandudno Ray ‘Fuzzy’Scott - Amanzimtoti Mvakalisi Nomtulo – Nyandeni Aphelile Makeleni – Monwabisi LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA - ANNUAL REPORT 2020 PAGE 4 GOVERNMENT PARTNERS INDEX 5-6 Presidents Report Dhaya Sewduth 7-8 Head Office Report Helen Herbert 8 Message from the sponsor Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation SA INDUSTRY PARTNERS 9-10 Drowning Prevention Mzi Mayedwa 11 Lifesaving Committee Melvyn Shaw 12 LSA Committees and Sub Committees CORPORATE SPONSORS 13-14 Sport Committee Craig van Rooyen 15-22 Finance Report & Annual Financial Statement Bruce Roberts 22 Gauteng Provincial Lifesaving Association Annelie Lourens 23 Ekhuruleni District AFFILIATION Bridget Du Toit 24 Lifesaving Western Cape Gerald de Jager 24 Cape Town District Christine Kennedy 25 Eden District Gerald De Jager OTHER SUPPORTERS 25 North West Lifesaving Jennifer Taylor 26 Freestate Lifesaving Gert Nel 26 Lifesaving Nelson Mandela Bay Earl Ingram 27 OR Tambo District Riches Mndiyata 27-28 Lifesaving KwaZulu Natal Mike Raubenheimer 28 International Lifesaving Sport Commission Jelle Meintsma 29-31 Bravery Awards Stanford Slabbert 31-32 Annual Awards 33-34 Membership Statistics 35-36 Rescue & First Aid Statistics 37 Award Statistics 38-39 Drowning Statistics 40 Sponsor Adverts Photography: Top Photo, Action Photography & various contributors Design & Layout: Realtime Media - www.realtimemedia.co.za PAGE 5 LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA - ANNUAL REPORT 2020 PRESIDENTS REPORT Dhaya Sewduth - President INTRODUCTION The conference was arguably one of the better organised WCDPs in recent years. The delegates and a huge contingent Management It is an honour indeed to present an annual report to LSA of ILS officials, were well entertained at the mayoral reception, Board Members AGM. More especially, it was also an honour to be elected gala dinner as well as the various networking sessions. While to serve as President of our national federation for the there was a fair representation of local delegates from sporting second time. The 2020 /2021 period under review will not be and aquatic safety organizations as well as local government, complete without reflecting on the impact of the Corona 19 it became obvious that we need to lobby for more support pandemic and subsequent ban on all activities. Although the from key national government offices. One major outcome is lockdown had only been implemented at the tail end of the for LSA to facilitate the formation of a Drowning Prevention year in review, its impact had been devastating. Alliance in SA. The process to organize the Alliance stalled during the lockdown but is intended to be resuscitated from The cancellation of the 2020 National Championships in September 2020. The aim is to ensure we position LSA as the Vice President Member Allen Pembroke Dylan Tommy PE was one of the biggest casualties and the subsequent leading authority on drowning prevention in SA. financial losses incurred was a blow to the organization. However, the losses we incurred pales into insignificance LSA is grateful for the generous support from the KZN compared to the many lives lost due to the pandemic as well Department of Sport and Recreation (our principal sponsor) as the consequential loss of jobs and livelihoods due to the as well as the City of Durban and a host of other sponsors. contracting and depressed economy. Fortunately, the biggest The KZN Dept of Sport and Recreation is also a committed project undertaken by LSA, in recent years, was hosted partner towards developing a Water Safety Strategy for the successfully in 2019, before the worldwide disaster. KZN province. Member Member WORLD CONFERENCE ON LIFESAVING SPORT ADVISORY Louise Erasmus Warren Prins DROWNING PREVENTION (WCDP) BOARD (SAB) 2019 The WCDP Conference was preceded by the International Surf Rescue Series in Durban in the week before the event. This event was the biggest one hosted by Lifesaving SA in Six nations participated in a well-run event in very trying surf recent years. The premier bi-annual Drowning Prevention conditions. This event was going to serve as a platform to Conference was hosted on behalf of the ILS from 8-10 build towards the national Champs in the March 2020 but, October 2019 at the International Convention Centre in as indicated, nationals was short-lived due to the lockdown Durban. The conference proper was preceded by four days and subsequent ban on all public events. The Director of of meetings hosting the ILS Board and its Commissions. A Member Member Sport, Craig van Rooyen and his Sport Advisory Board as Winston Meyer Tracy Baird series of pre-conference workshops were also successfully well as the Champs LOC led by Earl Ingram (LEC) must be hosted by the LSA Local Organizing Committee (LOC). The commended for managing the crises situation as a result of event itself was a culmination of over two years of extremely the cancelations. hard work undertaken by the LOC members and the head office staff on behalf of LSA. The LOC worked closely with A number of other International tours, including the Lifesaving stakeholders and role-players in Durban and internationally World Champs scheduled to take place in Italy in September to ensure that the organization of an event of such magnitude 2020, were postponed. The shift of events on the international was successful. competition calendar will ensure that the revised dates accommodate all affected events. The only LSA event that Director of Sport Director of Finance The Conference attracted well over 650 international delegates Craig van Rooyen Bruce Roberts convened was the National Open Water champs hosted in from 70 nations and they participated in a comprehensive the North West Province in early March 2020. However, the programme arranged by the Scientific Advisory Committee growth trend of participants at national champs, in recent (SAC) co-chaired by our own Dr Colleen Saunders. The years, has been temporarily stalled and the prolonged closure delegates engaged in the various conference streams and of beaches and pools may impact on athlete preparations for workshops. During breaks, delegates networked in a massive 2021. trade-show venue while enjoying their refreshments. The keynote speakers ranged from international, African and local experts on drowning prevention. One of the experts DROWNING PREVENTION was Gemma May, who leads the advocacy group at the UN COMMITTEE (DPC) Director of Lifesaving Director of Drowning Melvyn Shaw Prevention to lobby for the passing of a “UN Declaration of Drowning “ Mzi Mayedwa which hopefully will be passed soon. The WaterSmart programmes continued in 2019. In the year under review saw 30 000 learners being taught water safety lessons in the Life Skills Orientation in their school’s curriculum. The demand for our programmes is growing but the resources and funding to reach economies of scale is inadequate. Fortunately, the KZN Department of Education (DoE) has come on board in a significant way and workshops had begun to develop programmes to train teachers in the WaterSmart methodologies and content. A significant effort Co-opted Co-opted to invest in time and resources to build this partnership with Marius Oosthuizen SC Nkosi Ngcobo KZN DoE was made and hopefully implementation will ensue once the lockdown eases and the schooling programmes normalises. [Pic of WCDP from Infographic] The Gauteng DOE had also come on board prior to the lockdown and we anticipate delivery in that province as well. Several of our annual programmes, like Swimanathi, ran successfully and at least 12 000 young children developed Athletes Representative “survival swimming” skills. Similarly, joint programmes with Matthew Bouman LIFESAVING SOUTH AFRICA - ANNUAL REPORT 2020 PAGE 6 the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation (PCMFSA) were bring the total to date to well over 130 000 rescues. First aid • Department of Tourism run until the lockdown put paid to the schedule of events. cases accounted for at least 5832 incidents. • SALGA It is encouraging that the Drowning Prevention Committee The voluntary duty hours translate to a Rand-value figure of (DPC) under the directorate of Mzi Mayedwa is ramping up around R25million that our lifeguards have contributed to To ensure that we can further the mission and vision of LSA. on its strategies. With the inclusion of new members in the their communities, society and the nation at large. This is DPC, they have worked tirelessly to develop new strategies for the value that municipalities, and the hospitality and tourism roll-out once beaches and pools re-open and mass activities industries have benefitted from but had not paid for. In fact,