Cape Town hero Brandon Janeka selflessly braved rough seas along the Table View coastline to save a woman from drowning as well as a man who had attempted to help her.
Table View, South Africa (09 October 2024) — Brandon Janeka has been hailed a Cape Town hero after he selflessly saved both a woman from drowning as well as the man who had attempted to help her before ending up needing help himself.
The heroic events occurred this past Saturday when Heideveld local Brandon and his family decided to enjoy a beach day along with the rest of Cape Town.
They headed off to the Table View coastline’s Blouberg Beach. But as Brandon recalls in an interview with EWN’s Lester Kietwit, the beach’s conditions seemed ‘weird’, making mention of the clashing waves as well as the strong pull of the tide.
Brandon noticed that a woman had been floating for quite some time in the sea. Most thought she was simply enjoying the water by means of floating, but when bigger waves came and the woman didn’t react, Brandon knew something was wrong.
An unnamed beachgoer and Brandon decided to do something about it. However, when Brandon’s sidekick lost grip of the pink rescue buoy (something Brandon rightly believes deserves its own praise), he ended up in trouble himself as he had continued swimming to the woman without it; exhausting himself in the process.
Brandon stepped up with a splash and braved the tugging waters and strong currents to get the rescue buoy to the man in the water. But, because the man was so tired from treading water, he needed more help.
Brandon ended up pulling the two through the water despite the fear he had for his own life in the process due to the powerful sea pulling him down.
Nonetheless, he managed to pull them both close enough to get out, at which point the people on the beach helped see the rescue through.
“The City commends Brandon for his bravery in selflessly swimming into rough seas to rescue a woman from drowning. The community of Heideveld and all Capetonians can be extremely proud of this young man who risked his own life to save another,” praised Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
The mayor also thanked the other beachgoers who played a big role in helping with Brandon’s rescue.
“It is incredible that these ordinary beachgoers staged this heroic rescue without thinking twice, and saved a life in the process.”
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