A 60-year-old homeless man who sometimes worked as a car guard drowned near the boat slip-way in Hout Bay harbour this week.
According to the NSRI, local fishers noticed the man jumping off the jetty and disappearing under water around 9pm on Sunday November 19.
Community Crime Prevention (CCP) members, NSRI rescue swimmers and medics responded and police, Western Cape Health EMS and Life Healthcare response paramedics were called for help.
“On our arrival we found that CCP members were already on the scene and they had recovered a 60-
year-old man from the water who had been found
floating face down in the water next to the jetty and they had initiated CPR efforts,” said NSRI Hout Bay station commander, Lyall Pingle.
CPR efforts continued and a heart beat was restored, but then failed again.
“The man was transported by EMS ambulance to hospital while EMS and Life Healthcare paramedics, assisted by our NSRI medics, con-
tinued with CPR in the ambulance and at hospital. But sadly after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted doctors declared the man deceased.”
According to community leader, Pastor Philip Frans, the man regularly frequented the harbour precinct where he slept and occasionally did work as a car guard.
“I believe he originally came from Cradock in the Eastern Cape,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Saturday November 18, NSRI Hout Bay medics responded at the Hout Bay craft market where a 67-year-old woman from Johannesburg collapsed unconscious.
“On NSRI’s arrival at the scene, a female was stabilised by our medics and then transported to hos-
pital in a stable condition by a Netcare 911 ambulance. It was suspected that she
had collapsed after suffering a stroke,” Mr Pringle said.