Durban seine netter and experienced fisherman Goolam Fareed Essack died in a boat accident on Tuesday while netting sardines in Umgababa on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
Essack, 73, died a few days after the start of the KZN sardine season, an annual event that he loved. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said reports indicate that a fishing boat carrying four people experienced engine failure and capsized.
Netshiunda said three people were rescued and the search is still under way for a 32-year-old man.
“Police in KwaZulu-Natal have opened an inquest docket and missing person case for investigation following an incident in which a 73-year-old man died when resuscitation efforts failed to save him,” he said.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon, said the skipper, Essack, was rescued to the shore and he is suspected to have suffered a medical condition while he was on the beach.
“Netcare 911 paramedics, eThekwini lifeguards, police medics and the NSRI lifeguard conducted extensive CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) efforts on the skipper. After all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted, he was declared deceased,” he said.
Essack’s cousin, angler Jace Govender, said he was close to Essack and on Tuesday was hard on him because he was part of the rescue unit that responded to the scene. “He was a true waterman, he was born in the ocean, from a very young age in Bayside, Clairwood. His entire family, his father, uncles, brothers and even the ladies were in the fishing industry,” he said.
Govender said Essack was a true legend and was one of the best net manufacturers in the country.
“He learnt to make nets from his father and he started teaching others how to make nets. He even taught a lot of people in the fishing industry how to net. I learnt from him.
“There’s no better way to go, if you die doing something you love. Imagine, he fished and netted all his life and he was dropping a net to catch sardines when he got into trouble and he died,” said Govender.
Close friend Adrian Subbiah said, he always labelled him as the fisherman in the book The Old Man and the Sea because he loved the sea.
Commercial seine netter, Tony Outar, said he was a very warm person.
“He is one of the oldest legends in the industry. It was very sad, we are still here on the beach but we all stopped netting to pay our respects,” he said.
Outar said Essack could see fish in the water very well.
“He could see a shoal and tell you where they are and he was the only one back in the day who could make the nets for them. Up until today, we looked for him to fix our nets when they are torn and to make new nets. We are really going to miss him,” he said.
The Mercury