Honouring excellence in Drowning Prevention

The NSRI’s Drowning Prevention department recently celebrated the conclusion of its annual summit in Durban on 1 February.

The NSRI’s world-class Drowning Prevention department recently marked a significant milestone in their annual calendar with the successful completion of their Drowning Prevention Summit held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, from 29 January to 1 February 2024.

The aim of the summit is to bring together all 45 instructors and leadership members – as well as new members from Mpumalanga, Northwest, Limpopo and the Free State – to boost morale, brainstorm solutions to challenges within the department, and outline the strategic objectives for the upcoming year.

After checking in at the Garden Court South Beach Hotel, the summit kicked off with a workshop at the NSRI’s Durban base (Station 5) on effective communication. Day two involved a detailed progress report on the department’s 2023 programmes, followed by a discussion on the strategy for 2024 and identifying potential programme challenges and solutions.

“Gathering our team together, which is scattered across the country, is truly a treat,” says Nazreen Adams, Drowning Prevention National Project Coordinator. “At our annual summit, we dissected the challenges we encountered from the past year, discussed solutions, and celebrated our successes. Everyone was filled with excitement and pride for all our achievements in 2023. The feedback from the team was positive, and they expressed gratitude for being recognised in this way in front of their colleagues. One of the reasons we have our summit in Jan-Feb is to kickstart the new year with positivity, enhanced morale and motivation for 2024.”

The best was saved for last, though: the highly anticipated awards ceremony in which outstanding work was recognised and rewarded. Also attended by external stakeholders uShaka Marine, City logistics and municipal government officials, the ceremony bore witness to the excellent achievements of Drowning Prevention instructors.

Next year, if all goes according to plan, the summit will be integrated into the NSRI’s annual general meeting, allowing the DP department to receive further recognition for its exceptional work.

Congratulations to the following award winners and runners-up:

Most Persons Taught: Water Safety Education

First place: Mncedisi Hlalathu (KwaZulu-Natal, 96 887)
First runner-up: Slindile Mthethwa (KwaZulu-Natal, 47 052)
Second runner-up Khethile Jali (KwaZulu-Natal, 44 904)

Most Presentations Taught: Water Safety Education

First place: Slindile Mthethwa (KwaZulu-Natal, 390)
First runner-up: Nelly Mdumbi (Eastern Cape, 363)
Second runner-up: Rose Ndaba (KwaZulu-Natal, 348)

Most Lessons Taught: Survival Swimming

First place: Petro Meyer (Western Cape, 2 785)
First runner-up: Fikiswa Jali (KwaZulu-Natal, 1 277)
Second runner-up: Zakarriiyyaa Abrahams (Western Cape, 1 063)

Best Administration

Bernice Cook (Western Cape)

Ten-Year Service Award

Kenneth Gagela (Gauteng) and Zanele Bushwane (HQ, Western Cape)

Five-Year Service Award

Nicole Anthony (Western Cape)

The NSRI extends its gratitude to the crew at Station 5 and the surrounding areas for their hospitality, to Mrs Dasheni Emmanuel for providing valuable skills in her workshop, and finally to the external stakeholders who attended the awards ceremony.