Since I lived in a rural area in Ladysmith, we had no swimming facilities that were available to us to learn or practice swimming. When I moved to Durban in 2008, I visited the beach and noticed that everyone living here knew how to swim. At first I tried to learn on my own but unfortunately I was not successful.
I then began working at Penzance Pre-primary and was assisting in the Grade R classes. As a teacher assistant-I had to attend and had to attend and help in the pool when the Grade R’s had their PE lessons. Every lesson I attended, I would pay careful attention to all instructions given by the coach to the children, and I would try my absolute best to follow the instructions so I could learn along with the kids. Going once a week in the pool wasn’t enough for me, so I decided to join Virgin Active so I could practice my swimming.
With lots of determination and practice, I have achieved my goal of learning to swim. I may not be an expert swimmer but I definitely know how to get myself out of a dangerous situation if I’m in a pool.
By Slindile Mnguni