We have two small children and our view is that learning to swim in SA is not a luxury - it's a life skill.

Swim schools teach small kids how to get out of a pool if they fall in. Both my kids go for swim lessons and started at an early age even though we don't have a pool. If you can afford it send your kids to a swimming school it's well worth it. Hopefully government will be able to assist and help kids who parents who can't afford swimming lesson to host free lessons at public pools. It's so sad when you hear of a child drowning, I pray the Lord will comfort those parents who have lost a child.

You did nothing wrong friend. Accidents happen. Being prepared and responsible (like you were) is all that you can do. There's no sense in wrapping your child in bubble wrap before letting him outside.

I was having a braai at my house with a few neighbours, my friend and I were standing around the fire, and my 18 month boy was playing ball with the neighbour’s 4 year old son. The ladies were in the kitchen, it was the end of summer and we stood with beers in hand and the kids laughing in the background, nothing to care about. We have a large above ground paddling pool 4mx3mx1m in the garden, and the boys were now splashing in the water with their hands, they were in sight of my friend and I, not more than 5meters away. The first round of meat had just gone on the braai (1st slight distraction). I can remember the 'bloop' sound clearly; it was as if someone had dropped a large pebble into the water. It didn’t register immediately what had happened and I was turning the meat (still distracted). I heard my neighbour’s son say ‘Get the ball Rory!’ and as I looked up I asked where Rory is and suddenly realised exactly what had happened. We both got to the pool within seconds and I managed to pull him out just as he was starting to surface for the first time. Now I don’t consider myself to be an irresponsible parent, although I am sure some will say otherwise, but I had spent most of the summer getting him happy to have water on his face with short underwater submerging and generally getting used to being in the pool (I’m sure there are, and will be, long debates as to whether this was right or wrong). I think this may have been 1 aid to his survival the 2nd being the fact that I was within 5 meters of him and was able to retrieve him from the pool so quickly, but I hold myself fully responsible for not being more alert and getting distracted with the braai. Basically what I want to say is, pools are very dangerous, if you have one you need to be extra vigilant when children are nearby. You WON’T hear them fall in, so extra caution needs to be applied. If you have to have one, fence it off. Teach you r children how to swim and don’t ever let them out near a pool on their own.