Sne Masuku

Sne Masuku

A 28-year-old Mpumalanga man drowned at Durban's south beach yesterday, bringing the number of people who have drowned in the province since Monday to three.

Emmanuel Mahlangu was in KwaZulu-Natal for a holiday with a group of friends and was due to return home today.

Mahlangu and his friends had decided to go for a final swim at 5am before returning home. Instead, their holiday turned into tragedy when his friends discovered that he had drowned.

At the time of the incident there were no lifeguards on site as it was in the early hours when no one is supposed to be swimming.

Police spokesman Thembeka Luthuli said Mahlangu and his friends had chosen not to obey the warning signs on the beach, which state clearly that no swimming is allowed before 7am. She also warned swimmers not to go into the sea when drunk.

On Monday, strong currents washed away two people, including an eight-year-old child.

This year, all children entering the beachfront area will receive name tags with their parents' contact details to make it easy for police or lifeguards to locate them.