Meshack Khotha

Meshack Khotha

In a campaign to reduce the number of drownings in Soweto, a portable swimming pool was erected at the Besafe Centre in Dube yesterday.

It is a joint venture between Swimming South Africa and the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Service.

Children who visit the centre on a daily basis will have access to water safety education.

The launch served as a spring kickoff of the national awareness and skills transfer campaign to help reduce the high number of drownings in the country.

The portable KD pool was donated by Zodiac company in Midrand and the Randburg based-Waterlinx company supplied the pump and motor, chemicals, solar panels and erected everything.

Waterlinx will also run and maintain the pool and provide training on how to run the filtration system.

Mafa Modutoane, SSA operations manager, said he was excited about the initiative.

"It fits in very well with the organisation's mission of making every child a swimmer.

"It will also drive water safety education in the sprawling township," said Modutoane.

"Water safety through education and the transfer of swimming skills is a crucial imperative to prevent tragedies through drowning," he added.

It was the ninth portable pool to be erected in the nine provinces.