Don’t blame parents, blame the authorities

ONLY parents can fully appreciate the tragic loss of a tiny toddler and we can only imagine the deep emotional suffering of the couple who lost their child in a boating accident at the Hartbeespoort Dam.

It is not for the public to point fingers in condemnation of possible culpability as we don’t know the full facts of the incident. Rather let the legal system and our Maker sit in judgement, and the loss of a precious life to a family is perhaps more than sufficient punishment for any parent to bear.

They have to live with that pain for the rest of their lives.

What we can certainly interrogate is the policing or lack of it at aquatic resorts. I am no expert on boating activities but acquaintances who are tell me there is a glaring lack of policing on crowded waters like the Hartbeespoort Dam.

This has apparently resulted in a chaotic free-for-all maelstrom of dangerous and irresponsible piloting of speedboats travelling at high speeds on busy stretches of water, the abuse of alcohol, and the flouting of regulations such as the mandatory wearing of life jackets. I am told that many boat owners do not have licences.

Marine safety resources seem to be concentrated at ocean resorts where there is a modicum of visible enforcement and resources, but inland waters have been neglected.

At one time, the country’s dams and rivers were fairly frequently patrolled by dedicated water police units.

The propensity of motorists to flout road regulations which has resulted in about 14 000 fatalities every year must surely translate into aquatic lawlessness, and surely it is imperative to extend the same policing and regulatory commitment that applies to our road driving, to our recreational water sports.

Maybe if there had been visible policing, that toddler’s life could have been saved.

Brakpan