Four drownings on New Year’s Day at South African beaches: Ongoing search for three missing

Four people have died at South African beaches on New Year’s Day, with the search continuing for three still missing in KwaZulu-Natal.

The day’s tragic start included incidents in Cape Town. Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) management board member Dhaya Sewduth reported the first incident as the drowning of an adult male on Strand Beach.

After being alerted to a body in the ocean, lifesavers retrieved the body and attempted resuscitation.

"But it was too late, and he was declared deceased," Sewduth said, adding that reports indicate the deceased had been swimming outside the designated bathing zone.

In Strandfontein, Cape Town, Sewduth noted a successful rescue after lifesavers were alerted to an adult male floating face down in the tidal pool.

"They recovered the individual and administered CPR until they found a pulse. He was handed over to the paramedics," he confirmed.

Further detail on the Strandfontein rescue was provided by LSA director Melvyn Shaw, who described the man's life being saved by the quick actions of lifesavers at approximately 4pm.

"Upon arrival at the first aid room, they found that he was non-responsive, no breathing, no pulse. With the swift reaction from them administering CPR and compressions, after five cycles, he was revived and showed signs of response," he explained.

Shaw said the man was then transported to a hospital.

The tragedies continued to unfold in KwaZulu-Natal. In a separate incident at the Isimangaliso Wetland non-bathing beach, LSA received a report that a 14-year-old boy drowned.

Sewduth stated that reports regarding the Isimangaliso incident remain unclear at this stage.

A far more dramatic incident unfolded at Pennington Beach, where many bathers were swept out to sea.

Off-duty lifesavers responded immediately, according to Sewduth.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) described the event as a mass casualty drowning.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said that at approximately 6.20pm, the KZN surf rescue network was alerted to five individuals in distress in the surf zone near the tidal pool at Pennington Beach.

They got into difficulty while swimming and were swept away by rip currents.

NSRI Rocky Bay rescue swimmers, the SA Police Service, Police Search and Rescue, and IPSS medical rescue joined Alert lifeguards who had launched into the surf.

IPSS spokesperson Samantha Meyrick confirmed that lifeguards managed to rescue one person, who paramedics found to be in a stable condition.

NSRI reported that two bodies had been recovered and taken into the care of the police and the Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.

Police Search and Rescue, assisted by NSRI and lifeguards, continued search operations on Friday for the two remaining missing men from the Pennington incident, both believed to be aged 21.

In a separate incident on Friday, NSRI Ballito station commander Mike Bishop said at 6.20am that the duty crew and the KZN surf rescue network were activated following reports from IPSS Search and Rescue of a search operation in progress at Thompsons Beach, Ballito, where a 40-year-old male, reportedly from Carolina, Mpumalanga, had gone missing in the surf zone.

"It appears that the man and his 13-year-old nephew were swimming earlier in the morning when they were caught in rip currents. An unidentified Good Samaritan had rescued the teenager from the water, who was not injured, but the uncle had gone missing," said Bishop.

Bishop said the Good Samaritan had returned to the water to attempt to rescue the man, who then disappeared underwater.

"Despite the extensive sea and shoreline search, there remain no signs of the missing man," he said.

Meanwhile, the NSRI urged beachgoers to exercise caution during the full moon spring tide, which peaks on Monday, January 5, 2026, as it will affect tidal conditions over this weekend.

Lambinon said this natural phenomenon occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth align during the full moon phase, amplifying the gravitational pull on the Earth’s oceans.

"The effects of this full moon spring tide will be felt throughout this weekend and for the next few days, and the NSRI is asking beach visitors, rock and surf anglers, and people who intend to walk on coastal paths to be aware of the stronger tidal variation typical of spring tides."

karen.singh@inl.co.za