A pool that could change everything

For children growing up in Westlake Village, the ocean is minutes away. Yet for many, that proximity has always carried danger. Few have ever set foot in a swimming pool. That is about to change.

A determined group of partners has spent nearly a year building a new learn-to-swim programme for learners at Westlake Primary School in Cape Town. Aqua Zura (led by Minoussakis, also known as Mina or Amina), Westlake Primary School, Cape Academy of Maths, Science and Technology, the Westlake Taxi Association and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) all drove this initiative forward together.

The programme will use the newly revitalised heated pool at Cape Academy. Grade R and Grade 1 learners are first in line.

A community that needed this

Ward 71 councillor Carrolyne Franklin says: “This is a very exciting, very nuanced, but multi-collaborative programme. Water safety is so vital, not only in our inland provinces, but specifically for us at the coast. A number of our younger residents, specifically in Westlake Village, have no exposure to any form of water safety at all, let alone a swimming pool. When they do go to the beach occasionally, they face real risk.”

Franklin adds: “It’s also absolutely vital that our youngsters, specifically those in primary school, have something healthy, outdoors, educational and empowering to do instead of lurking around on corners and becoming involved in gangs. So it serves a multiple purpose. Imagine if the next Penny Heyns or Chad le Clos came from one of our Westlake primary learners who learned to swim and made their way up through the squads to the Olympics. Those are the kinds of dreams we need to share with our children and this is going to help that happen.”

How the partnership came together

The seed took root in July last year, when Franklin learned of the collaboration between Aqua Zura, a non-profit organisation (NPO), and Cape Academy. She helped connect the programme to Westlake Primary and worked with a WCED director to get the pool’s heating approved and the facility opened.

Transport posed an early challenge. Westlake’s streets are narrow and the local taxi association is protective of who carries community learners. Rather than work around them, Franklin invited the Westlake Taxi Association in as partners. Miss Peterson from Westlake Primary has driven the school’s involvement with enthusiasm. Aqua Zura is supplying towels, costumes, caps and all necessary equipment, removing cost as a barrier for families.

What the programme looks like

From 1 September, two 30-minute sessions will run Monday to Friday, with Saturday slots for learners who need extra time. Minoussakis says: “We are determined to have at least Grade R and Grade 1 water safe by the end of 2027 at Westlake Primary. Children respond at different paces but by December 2027, with patience and determination, we will succeed.”

Drowning is a public health crisis

The urgency is real. According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), South Africa loses an estimated 1 484 people to drowning each year. About 450 of those deaths, 29%, involve children under 14.

Minoussakis says: “South Africa should be deeply concerned. Drowning is not only an issue; it is a child protection, inequality and public health crisis. The crisis is most severe in lower-income communities because risk is shaped by inequality. Many children grow up near rivers, dams, informal drainage systems, beaches or unfenced pools but without equal access to swimming lessons, rescue services or basic water safety education.”

What real change requires

Minoussakis says change at scale requires the same commitment applied to other public health successes. “Achieving this requires the same ingredients that have successfully transformed road safety, vaccination programmes and early childhood development initiatives: political will, sustainable funding, curriculum integration and measurable outcomes. Every child, regardless of where they live or their family’s income, should have access to basic water safety education and survival swimming skills. We should be asking not how many children participate in programmes, but how many children can safely float, swim and respond to an emergency by the age of six. What gets measured gets prioritised. The goal is ambitious but achievable.”

A model built to grow

For Aqua Zura, the Westlake model is designed for replication. The ambition is a programme rooted in, and owned by, the community. Minoussakis says: “Westlake school gave us direct access to the children who are most vulnerable. The Westlake taxis brought something equally important: community leadership and influence. Their support helps demonstrate that water safety is not just a swimming issue it is a community responsibility. Because learning to swim must be considered a human right.”

The programme starts when the next school term opens, once indemnity forms and logistics are in place. Talks about expanding the model to other wards across Cape Town are already under way. Franklin says: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. When egos are put to one side and the long-term benefits to our community are taken into account, we can do anything. Onwards and upwards into the pool we go.”

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