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Nelson Mandela Bay's beaches will very shortly become safer for residents and visitors when National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) pink rescue buoys will be placed in strategic areas to assist swimmers in need.

This follows after a DA motion for the Municipality to form a public/private partnership with the NSRI to bring this initiative to the Metro's beaches was successfully passed in council.

These bright pink buoys will be placed strategically on signs at selected beaches and act as a reminder to take care if there are no lifeguards on duty. If someone gets into difficulty in the water, they can be used as emergency flotation until help arrives.

The buoys are housed on a sturdy pole with signage showing how they should be used, as well as the NSRI's emergency number and the buoys' unique identification number, which helps rescue services to identify the location of the emergency. ID numbers and NSRI's contact telephone numbers are also embossed on the buoys themselves so they can easily be returned to their posts after usage, or if they are lost or stolen.

Our successful motion also called for the recognition of lifesaving clubs as strategic partners of the city. The motion further sought to remind the Municipality about the shortage of permanently employed lifeguards.

Our beaches are key drawing cards to bring tourists to the Metro and grow the economy. The safety of beachgoers is, therefore, a priority.

The DA in Nelson Mandela Bay believes that the safety and cleanliness of our beaches as a natural asset is key. We are a city trying to position itself as a world-class water sports destination. This objective can only be achieved through collaboration with lifesaving clubs and cleanliness and safety at our beaches.

A more vigorous effort to boost capacity and implementation is essential to achieve these goals.

The DA will work tirelessly to ensure that our beaches draw even more tourists to our Metro to boost the local economy – we are in your corner, fighting for you.

Issued by Cllr Sebenzile Rafani - DA NMB Spokesperson for SRAC