WATCH | Neighbour saves toddler from car that plunged into swimming pool

20 September 2019 - 11:25
By NIVASHNI NAIR

A KwaZulu-Natal man, Nthutuko Buthelezi, jumped into action when a car plunged into a swimming pool in Glen Park in Pinetown on Thursday.

Buthelezi, employed as a caretaker on a neighbouring property, “didn't think twice” and dived into the pool to pull a four-year-old child out of the car. The child was in the car with his mother and a relative. 

“I was at the gate with a few friends when I heard what sounded like an explosion. I ran to the neighbour's yard and saw that the wall was missing,” said Buthelezi.

“I then saw the car in the pool. I instinctively jumped in to save whoever was in there,” he told TimesLive.

Buthelezi said he didn't want fame or “anything in return” for saving the boy from drowning. 

“God uses his people in different ways. I don't need to be thanked,” he said.

Nthutuko Buthelezi is congratulated by Blue Security officer, Nischal Ramesh, after he saved a four-year-old from drowning.
Image: Andreas Mathios Blue Security Nthutuko Buthelezi is congratulated by Blue Security officer, Nischal Ramesh, after he saved a four-year-old from drowning.

Private company Blue Security said Buthelezi had saved the four-year-old from drowning.

“The toddler was a passenger in the car and the circumstances surrounding this near tragic incident are unclear,” the company said in a statement.

A car ended up in a pool in Pinetown on Thursday afternoon.
Image: Andreas Mathios Blue Security A car ended up in a pool in Pinetown on Thursday afternoon.

The toddler was “shaken up by the fuss”.

He was examined by paramedics and handed over into his mother's care.

The mom and relative were not harmed.