A Durban surfer has hosted a breakfast and surfing session for local Metro Search and Rescue officers to thank them for the work they’ve done while the war against the Covid-19 pandemic rages on in the city.
Professional surfer, Beyrick de Vries, 28, told News24 that he wanted to show his appreciation to the cops, particularly for the professional manner in which they handled the surfers protest earlier this year.
https://77dc42c6409c34ed623523a89b5b1888.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html In January, disgruntled surfers took to the beaches to protests in Durban against the beach ban imposed by national government to curb Covid-19 infections.
“On the day of the protest, when members from the Durban Metro Search and Rescue approached us to tell us we can’t be on the beach, I initially thought we going to be arrested,” said De Vries.
The surfers gathered at the New Pier beach in during the early morning hours to protest and raise awareness of how “poorly thought out” the ban was.
Members of the public had alerted the cops about the protest on the beach and a team of Durban Metro Search and Rescue was dispatched to the area.
Durban Metro police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said the surfers were demanding that the beach ban be lifted.
“Members of the Metro police have been very brave during the Covid-19 pandemic, making sure people comply with the regulations set out by the government,” he added.
De Vries said on the day of the protest action he was told that the cops did not even have any breakfast before coming to the scene to dispatch the surfers.
The surfers were given an official warning by the cops before peacefully dispersing.
“They were super chilled about the situation and understood that we just wanted to surf,” he said.
“I wanted to make amends for that day, with the Metro team for disrupting their breakfast,” he added.
De Vries hosts monthly board meetings sponsored by coffee local company Ella where they highlight the good that South Africans do to assist fellow South Africans.
On Thursday, De Vries invited members of Durban Metro police to join him in the surf at their monthly board meeting.
“The least we could do is making up for breakfast together with Ella coffee we hosted a lekker brekkie for the cops”.
“This is a lovely gesture for our members of the Durban Metro Search and Rescue unit. These members are a highly committed team who search for people and return them safely to their families. Sometimes they have the gruesome task of retrieving bodies,” the Metro Police said.
