Brave dad tried to rescue family from freak wave

Drowning tragedy: Surviving daughter speaks at funeral.

An outpouring of grief from the community resulted in Truro Hall being filled to capacity with mourners who attended the funeral of three members of the Naidoo family from Bombay Heights who drowned over the weekend after being swept out to sea by a freak wave that crashed onto the shore on the north coast.

Dan and Queenie Naidoo together with their daughter Shane Naidoo (40) were swept out to sea on Saturday while taking a family stroll during a weekend away at Zimbali. Their youngest daughter Sarnia was taking a photograph of the family higher up on the shore just before the tragedy occurred. She tried in vain to rescue her parents and sister.

Speaking at the funeral Sarnia thanked both her parents and her sister for making her the person that she is today.

“Thank you mum, dad and Aka (sister) for making me the person I am today. Thank you to all the people who have been so supportive through this traumatic time,” said Naidoo as her aunt stood by her side giving her emotional support and helping wipe away the tears.

“Dad, who is going to call me by the nickname you kept for again?” asked Naidoo.

Both Mayor Chris Ndlela and Speaker Babu Baijoo attended the funeral and extended the city’s condolences to the family.

“The city grieves with the family over the tragedy,” said Ndlela. Referring to the death of Shane, Ndlela said South Africa has lost someone who was highly skilled and who contributed to the development of the country. (See obituary below)

Danpaul, 65, and Queenie Naidoo, 63, of Bombay Heights were celebrating Danpaul’s birthday on Saturday at the Fairmont Zimbali resort with their daughters, Shane, 39, and Sarnia, 25, when tragedy struck.

Danpaul was a retired Nestle chocolate factory employee while his wife ran the tuckshop at Raisethorpe High School. His daughters had taken the family to the resort in celebration of his 65th birthday. Tragedy unfolded when the family had gone to the beach after lunch and were taking photographs.

A family member who did not want to be named said Sarnia, was in the process of taking a photograph of her family while they walked along the shore, when they were struck by a wave.

“They were not swimming but were posing for the photograph when they were hit so hard by a wave that it dropped them down. As they tried to get up, a series of huge waves continuously crashed on them, making it impossible for them to get up,” said the family member.

Sarnia, upon seeing what was happening, threw her phone to the ground and attempted to rescue her family.

“She managed to reach her dad up but he refused to leave without his wife and daughter. As he tried to save them he was pulled into the sea by the huge waves,” said the family member.

According to Quentin Power of the Specialised Rescue Unit (SRU) Sarnia, the surviving 25-year-old daughter said that the family were taking photographs on the beach when a large wave washed her mother and older sister out to sea, which prompted her and her father to jump in, in an attempt to rescue them.

Another beach goer witnessed incident and managed to pull Shane out of the water and then started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the woman until paramedics arrived.

“The woman was airlifted to hospital, where she received treatment at the Alberlito’s intensive care unit (ICU) but regrettably she died a few hours later,” said Power.

Dan and Queenie died at the scene.