Crisis. Opportunity. Sometimes the two words mean the same thing. That was the case for Monwabisi Sikweyiya when a shark attacked a swimmer off Clovelly Beach. Rushing into the water, Sikweyiya got the victim to safety and used his belt as a tourniquet on his severed leg. Sikweyiya’s quick thinking saved a life, and changed his career.
He would go on to work with the Shark Spotters programme, for over two decades now. Shark Spotters is an organisation that aims to improve the relationship between recreational water users and sharks. As a field manager, Sikweyiya leads 30 shark spotters who have established an effective warning system using flags and sirens in Cape Town. The programme expanded to Plettenberg Bay in 2022 after two fatalities.
The reality is that people pose far more of a threat to sharks than the other way around. This makes Sikweyiya’s role more vital than ever. He is working to save lives by raising awareness and increasing understanding and teaching water safety to the net crew, spotters and anyone else in the organisation who is interested.
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