THE FAMILY of the teenager who drowned after he was allegedly held underwater by “unruly boys” are calling for full investigation into the incident.
They also want eThekwini Municipality to immediately deploy more lifeguards to the Merewent swimming pool or shut it down.
Hayden Levi Lynx, a grade 9 pupil at Wentworth Secondary and a member of the Park United Soccer Club, drowned at the pool last Wednesday.
It has been alleged that the pool was packed beyond capacity with about 180 children at the time.
His grandmother, Bronwyn Lynx, said Hayden had gone to the pool with her cousin's children. She said after a few hours, a neighbour came running to her to tell her that her children had run back home crying, saying that something happened to Hayden.
“The children were saying that his neck was broken and something happened. They said they did not know if he was dead or alive. As my neighbour drove me to the pool, I was hoping that I would find Hayden in an ambulance or being resuscitated. But when we got there, we saw a body on the side of the pool, covered in foil. When you see foil you know it's death. We opened the foil and my boy was just lying there motionless,” Lynx said.
She said paramedics told her that children were “playing naughty games roughly” and that the pool was so full which resulted in Hayden’s death.
“When I got there I was heartbroken and thought it was an accident. But sitting there listening to people and children who were at the pool, I believe that there was foul play and there needs to be a full investigation.
“The post mortem was done the next day and indicated that Hayden died due to drowning. There were also bruises at the back of shoulders and neck and scratch marks on the left shoulder. One of the children said that a boy had jumped on him and held him down. The other boys just kept jumping into the pool and on top of Hayden. His body then sank to the bottom of the pool and the boys left the pool. I believe his death was deliberate.
“One of the children said they jumped out of the pool and ran to the lifeguards office, where they told them that there was a child at the bottom of the pool. There was no response from the lifeguards. Then another two little boys from our community jumped into the pool and swam to the bottom. They identified that it was Hayden at the bottom of the water. One of them ran to the lifeguards to notify them, and that was when they responded and went in to pull Hayden out,” she added.
Lynx said she demanded answers from the lifeguards.
“There were two lifeguards and they couldn't tell us where they were at the time. The children are traumatised. They were screaming for help but they were not attended to. Did they not hear? From where the body was taken out you can see straight in the office of the lifeguards. Could they not keep watch from their office?
“The municipality needs to investigate where the lifeguards were when this was happening and why they allowed unruly children to continue to behave badly in the pool. The lifeguards said they had more than 180 children in the pool. How can two lifeguards safeguard so many children? Their duty is to walk around and make sure swimmers are okay, especially if they allow that number of children into the pool. The pool must be closed if the lifeguards or staff cannot properly serve the community. I am glad that police have opened an inquest docket and are investigating,” added Lynx.
Raven Naidoo, a community leader in Merebank, was at the pool shortly after the incident.
He said: “Due to the rough behaviour and horseplay, a child drowned and the lifeguards were too late to save his life. The lifesavers warned them to not be rough and do backflips earlier in the day. Adults also need to accompany the children to monitor them. Parents need to be actively involved in advising children on how to behave when they go to the pool. This is a typical example of it.
“There is a need for more lifeguards, especially during the school holidays. The municipality is set to place an additional two lifeguards at the pool from next week or so. The maximum number of people who are allowed into the pool should also be controlled. Crowd control is important. The responsibility is great on the lifesavers but they are human beings as well,” he said.
Tracy Williams, another community leader in Merebank, said she urged eThekwini Municipality to deploy more lifeguards to local pools, not just the Merewent Pool.
“Most children have completed their examinations and are home during the day. On hot days, they are going to flock to the pool. But we cannot allow 150 children in the pool with only two lifeguards. There needs to be more lifeguards and staff at the pool. Once the pool is too full, staff should close the gates,” she said.
Olivia Jones, a community leader in South Durban, said: “I urge parents to warn their children against playing rough in the water, as it can have devastating consequences. Children need to learn from this tragedy and look out for one another,” she said.
Hayden was laid to rest on Thursday at the Durban Christian Centre.