Life Saving South Africa has made a call for swimming education to be prioritised as
drowning rates spike in South Africa. The organisation says in the latter half of
November 2024, there was a spate of 21 drownings reported which they had not seen in
previous years. The number of fatal drownings coincided with the emergence of hot weather as well as the close of examinations, schools and universities. During December 2024 to the first week of January 2025 the number of drownings doubled to 42 which consisted of 34 cases of fatal drownings and 8 non- fatal.