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 By Herbert Dube
It is nearly two months since the tragic Lake Chivero boat disaster which claimed nine lives. And the horror of it all has remained embedded deep in my mind as four of the deceased were close relatives of mine, young souls who had every reason to be with us today and perhaps the future of the country.
The accident was a perfect example of human error and ignorance at its peak. As a reminder of how reckless some people are, imagine the two canoe operators were drunk, the boat was unlicensed and overloaded, no life jackets were on board and worse still, the rescue team was nowhere near.
To my surprise, the distance to shore was less than 50 metres, a distance which defined the fate of those on board, with those able to swim making it to shore, while it became an unfortunate tragic end for those who did not possess the vital skill.
The risk of death in the event of water accidents increases by almost a hundred percent for a non swimmer, whereas in the case of a swimmer, one simply swims to safety.
With the abundance of water bodies in Zimbabwe in the form of lakes, dams, rivers, wells, ponds and swimming pools, no human being could claim to be safe from drowning unless they take swimming lessons, for one never knows when the need to summon ones swimming skills may arise.
Imagine you misjudge the swell of a river while trying to cross, or your child falls into a deep river while alone heading cattle or you find yourself at the deep end of the swimming pool, the outcome could be disastrous if one cannot swim his way out, because help in some cases may not be forthcoming.
Indeed the cost of swimming pool accidents has been great with the loss of young popular comedian ,John Banda some years back and the death of former FC Platinum Coach, Benjamin Moyo to mention but a few. Last year alone the media was awash with cases of children and adults who lost their lives in unprotected wells, in dams and rivers while out doing their business.
At the moment very few schools are offering swimming lessons. I suggest the Government should consider introducing legislation that makes swimming compulsory for all schools to ensure that every child is given a fighting chance in the event of a water-related accident. How many people should lose their lives in water before our law makers realise the importance of making swimming mandatory for all schools?
Water is the ultimate life-giver, but at times it can take life with such ferocity and gruesomeness which surpasses any living beast.
A friend of mine who should have been in his fourth year at University this year, lost his life when he slipped into a river while taking a bath at a harmless-looking spot where someone with the scantiest knowledge of swimming could have made it out. Apparently, he had never seen the need learn to swim until that final moment when it was too late. We discovered his lifeless body a day after floating on top of the water.
Such are the tragic ends that we shall continue to see on our waters as long as people do not see the need to take swimming lessons.
On a recent visit to Chivero, I realised with shock that very little has been done to improve the safety standards of merry makers there. More shocking is the realisation that the tragedies that befell the nation have not saved as a lesson to many, as parents continue to flock with their young ones to the water resorts, even without taking time to teach their children to swim in the event of danger.
People’s reliance on so-called modern technology to this day is perplexing, considering how history has proven that men’s inventions have always come short of delivering when put to the test.
A good example is the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage back in 1912. The safety of the Cruiseliner was so overrated that one overzealous young man claimed that even God himself could not sink the ship. When it hit an iceberg 4 days later, it sank killing about 1 523 people. Only when disaster struck did passengers realise that the ship was indeed sinkable and the available lifeboats could only accommodate less than half the number of people on board.
The fate of those who could not swim was sealed long before the cold, icy water took its toll. The sinking of the Costa Concordia a few weeks ago in Italy and many others before that reveals just how we cannot rely on so-called safety devices when disaster strikes.
Unfortunately, there are those who suffer from aqua-phobia, an extreme fear of water based on previous unpleasant experiences, like near drowning or seeing someone drowning. These face the greatest risk of death as the extreme fear of drowning overwhelms them so much that they are in no position to fight against drowning when put to the task.
The fear of swimming can only be confronted by facing and fighting it. Learning how to swim would be the end of one’s phobia and in the process one would have gained a vital element of survival in life as one is never sure when they could find themselves in water with swimming being the only option to survive.
Some of us used that fear of drowning to learn how to swim. As young boys heading cattle in the rural areas of Chiundura, the older boys took the initiative to “teach” us how to swim by throwing us into the deep parts of Mrezu River where one would only be rescued as they reached the point of drowning, of course after having gulped a few gallons of water.
The eventual humiliation of being hit with wet sand in the stomach to force water out of the bloated stomach spurred even the slowest learner to master the art of swimming quickly to avoid a repetition of the gruesome process.
Having learnt to swim, I remember so vividly how we would cross the same river when it was overflowing without it posing the slightest hint of danger to us. Today I am proud to have managed to use my skill to save one two-year old who fell into the river having strayed from home. I found him on the verge of drowning and pulled him out just in time.
Sadly, I could not be there for my little sister Sharon as she fought the monstrous waters alone at Chivero, a battle which she was not equipped to fight, one which she eventually lost together with ten others. Today I ask myself why during all the holidays and family gatherings I shared with her I never took the initiative to teach her to how to swim. I failed her.
The battle was already lost for her that dark Christmas day, long before the overloaded boat left the harbor. This is one of the few essential things that we do not take seriously only to realise when it’s too late.
For me, the guilt of failing my relatives may haunt me for life, but for everyone else out there it is a lesson to learn from. Let us teach our children to swim as a way of protecting them from the ferocity of our waters. How sad it is that in spite of these tragic incidents, people fail to take the necessary corrective measures that could minimise casualties and reduce death.
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