Two East Beach heroes got together yesterday to reflect on their quick-thinking actions that saved a teenage surfer from serious injury or drowning at the popular Port Alfred surfing spot on Thursday last week.
From the safety of the shore, Multi Security beach marshal, Lenard de Clerck and Royal Alfred Marina employee, Mfundo Kondile, recounted the events that turned in to a rescue within a rescue.
De Clerck ran to the boy’s assistance near the East Beach pier, before being knocked by a wave into the water himself. He and the teen were both helped out of the water by a third person who disappeared once everyone was safe. De Clerck had been trying since then to identify and locate that person, who turned out to be Kondile.
Talk of the Town and De Clerck yesterday went in search of the mysterious good Samaritan. They found Kondile beyond the sand dunes where he monitors an outflow pipe pumping excess water from the Kowie River for the Royal Alfred Marina.
An-ever smiling and shy Kondile had the not-sure-what-all-the-fuss-is-about demeanour about him, but, despite his modesty, he shared a few words on his role in the incident.
Multi Security’s De Clerck, who was watching the 13-year-old surfer in the water directly across from him in the late afternoon on the day of the incident, sensed that the youngster was at risk as he drifted towards the pier, due to the rough surf conditions .
“I realised that the current was taking him further towards the rocks next to the pier. It was just a gut feel … so I left my hut and walked further on,” said de Clerck. “When I came towards the rocky section of the pier I heard [the cry] ‘help!’. It was him calling out.”
He radioed his control room to alert them about the situation and proceeded immediately towards the surfer to assist.
“When I got to the rocks the youngster was struggling and I tried to reach out to him to grab hold of him but it was too far away from me. I then managed to grab the rope tied to his ankle and his surfboard and tried pulling on it. But the strong current and wave action kept pulling him back away from the rocks.”
However, de Clerck said in his attempt to pull the boy up towards him, he too fell into the water.
“The current was quite strong … it kept pushing the boy further and further from the rocks. I saw signs of panic. The rocks have these sharp shells too and it’s difficult to get a hold anywhere. The waves kept pushing us back.”
De Clerck said it was around about this time when he saw a third person (later discovered to be Kondile) on the rocks trying to assist.
Kondile said he was standing on a sand dune when he saw from a distance the pair in trouble in the surf.
“Without thinking I grabbed a rope and ran towards them … I got myself onto the rocks next to the pier. The sea was rough and I couldn’t waste any time and threw the rope in.”
De Clerck said the sheer force of the wave action was bringing him back towards the rocks and away from them at the same time.
“By this time I had managed to get to where the boy was and, as Mfundo pulled on the rope, I pushed the youngster from behind and we managed to get him back up on the rocks.
“Then it was my turn, as the waves brought me back towards the rocks, Mfundo stuck out his hand and managed to grab hold of me and pull me up to safety.”
Following the ordeal, everyone managed to get up on to the flat section of the pier.
“We were worried if the boy was okay but he kept telling us not to worry and that he was fine. He was very polite because he kept asking us if the two of us were okay,” said De Clerck.
By this time a Multi Security response team vehicle had arrived at the car park as well as the NSRI emergency Rescue vehicle. “We walked up to the car park and they made sure the boy received treatment for a few scratches. They put some plasters on and disinfectant. He (the teenager) kept assuring everyone that he was fine.”
Turning to Mfundo, De Clerck said: “I really needed to get hold of you just to speak to you and say thank you …so thank you very much Mfundo for coming out to help us – you are a hero too,” as the pair shook hands smiling on the shore.
Kondile who can swim said: “I couldn’t worry about anything at the time, all I did was keep my focus and my only goal was to get them both out of the water. I didn’t even think twice when I saw them in trouble from far … it was just my instinct to help.”
Following the incident, The National Sea Rescue Institute warned beachgoers to always be cautious when swimming or participating in watersport activity at beaches.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said it was nothing unusual to find a teenage surfer taking to the water on their own “because that is what they do”. Therefore, it was not unusual for the 13-year-old surfer who was rescued from the surf at the beach to have been without supervision.
Referring to the NSRI’s response to the East Beach incident, Lambinon said following an alert by Multi Security about the incident, Port Alfred’s Station 11 rescue craft Rescue 11 Alpha was launched and its NSRI rescue vehicle and rescue swimmers were alerted.
He said with only minor scrapes the teenager was released into the care of his parents.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, April 10, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
