A Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officer dragged a drowning teenage boy from rough seas at Monwabisi Beach on Sunday afternoon after realising no lifeguards were on duty. Officer Brent Williams, 31, was on a routine beach patrol with three colleagues when they spotted the child in trouble around 2:20 PM, according to a report by the Daily Voice.
Two other boys stood on the shore waving for help while the 14-year-old was being battered by strong currents and large waves. Williams stripped off his bulletproof tactical vest and swam out. Two members of the public entered the water at the same time and the three worked together to pull the boy to safety.
“I informed my colleagues that at that very moment there were no lifeguards at the beach so I took off my bulletproof tactical vest and without hesitation ran into the water. I swam until I got to the boy with the help of two other public members, we worked together and managed to get the boy to safety,” Williams told the Daily Voice.
Williams, who has about three years’ service, described being pounded by the surf as the tide picked up. “One big wave beat me to the ground,” he recalled. “But my main focus was to get that boy to safety. I am just glad that I could save his life and save a mother from losing her son.”
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith issued a statement commending the officer’s bravery. Smith said he had already contacted LEAP management to ensure Williams’s heroism was formally acknowledged.
“We commend LEAP Officer Brent Williams for his bravery and quick action in responding to a young boy in distress in the water at Monwabisi Beach. This is a powerful reminder of how enforcement and emergency services staff go above and beyond the call of duty,” Smith said.
Monwabisi Beach is notorious for powerful rip currents and has been the scene of multiple drowning incidents, particularly outside of lifeguard operating hours. The nearest City lifeguard huts are seasonal and often unattended during weekdays. The beach, which runs along the Cape Flats coastline between Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain, remains a popular summer destination despite the hazards.
At the time of publication, Cape Flats.co.za had not independent confirmed the incident with the South African Police Servce or the City of Cape Town. The details in this report are drawn from a singe Daily Vocie article. Our jounalist is checking with SAPS Khayelitsha and the City’s recreation and parks department for offical confimation.