A Zambian woman drowned at a beach in Perth, Western Australia on Friday 26th December.Cathy Bwalya Chikwanda was pulled unconscious from the water at Trigg Point Beach.
The 28-year-old was swimming 250 metres north of the patrolled area at Trigg when she got into difficulty about 2.20pm on Friday.outside the patrolled area when she got into difficulty at about 2.20pm.It is understood her husband and another family member were with the woman and raised the alarm.
Surf lifesavers and paramedics spent 30 to 40 minutes trying to resuscitate her before she was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Surf Life Saving Western Australia spokesman Andrew Matraszek said it was unclear how the woman got into trouble.
“The sea breeze was in the afternoon when this incident occurred, so that certainly wouldn’t have helped… but there was a small swell, sort of a 1 or 1.5-metre wave, really tragically, quite a nice beach day,” he said.
“It appears that she was down at the beach with a family group and she entered the water at a sort of remote corner of the beach.
Mrs Chikwanda, originally from Zambia, moved to Perth about 10 years ago.In WA, she studied at the International Career Institute and worked as a law clerk and in a cafe.
Her husband yesterday said he was struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.The couple were married a year ago in their native Zambia.
Family members have set up a crowd funding page for donations to return Mrs Chikwanda’s body to Zambia for burial.
Her death did not deter swimmers at the same spot on Saturday who ignored “no swimming” signs and the nearby flagged area.
This deaths sounds suspicious, needs to be investigated.
May be she was Edgar Lungu’s girl frend.
Condolences.
Sad, sad, very sad indeed. It hurts to see people blatantly ignoring signs – traffic signs included – even when they are written in bright colours and even with a picture (in case they can’t read) meant to save their OWN lives leaving their family members scrounging for support to arrange funeral and burial arrangements.
@Jane – You have no empathy. Please go away.
Guys please be considerate. Death can come to anyone at anytime. You’re not special that you and your loved ones are alive right now. It’s all because of Gods grace. It could happen to you too. So don’t mock the dead. MYSRIP Cathy.
Have you ever paused to imagine your family and friends embarassingliy begging for help with your funeral and body repatriation costs?
@Blink….exact my thought. I have always told these Zambians in the diaspora to create a funeral fund for situations like this by all my advice has fallen on deaf ears. Zambians abroad can be useless things and most of them don’t believe they will certainly die and leave problems to surviving relatives who are now trotting from place to place to beg for funding to repatriate the body. This is embarrassing. Lets do things by ourselves and avoid relaying on the govt to assist us. A simple direct debit set up for each family say £10/months is enough. I don’t know why am wasting my time coz i know the *****ts from zambia are too spiritual and will not contribute towards their own funeral.
What a tragedy!! May God give strength to the husband and family, may those in Australia contribute generously so the body can be taken home, we are all Zambians.
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Very sad indeed. RIP.
was the deceased a swimmer or a learner? This is how the investigations should proceed.
She was cute anyway. The beauty has gone to the grave. This isnt the right way of bidding farewell to 2014.
@Jojo
Please lend me your glasses, i can’t see cute in that picture. You have a terrible taste in women.
If she was Vodka Lungu’s girl friend, the Vodka has to be questioned. It appears he has sacrificed her in order to win the elections.
@Suntwe, look at her lips, are they not kissable? I have also seen her full picture in which she nice bottom with a well spread hip and nice small wait with a flat tummy. Her breast were nice and pointed like a teen.
@ Jane. Just wait for one of your loved ones to die, then you would understand how painful death is to the remaining members. God be with you
Sorry for this tragic , may the Lord God comfort the family. Amen.
What a loss at such a young age with such a promising career! Only God knows. May she rest in peace!!!
MHSRIP she was a good person. May God be the comfort of the family during this trying moment.
why didn’t the same GOD save her from drowning???
@realist once you can answer that question, you will have unlocked the truth! And you will know its not God who didn’t save them!
Sad to hear such terrible news. Saw it on news not knowing she is our sister!
MHSRIP
JANE FOR SURE YOU GUYS ARE DEVIL WORSHIPPERS.
AND PEOPLE LIKE JANE NEED TO BE INTRODUCED TO BISHOP CHOMBA,,,,,,HE KNOWS HOW TO DESCRIBE THEM
ONE WORD,,,,,,,”SATANISTS”
REST IN PEACE CATHY AND GOD BLESS
Sad to hear such a terrible new and its hard to loss member of the family lets pray for her
You don’t pray for the dead for the dead know nothing and their reward on earth is no more. For living know that one day they too will die. Pray for the deceased’s family to find strength to pull through this tragic death and very trying period. Oz rally together and help a family member like true Zambians should do. Zambia United.
Ubwichenjeshi abena Muchinga bulaletelela, you think this is Mpika, good riddance join the rotten corpse of you grandpa Chimaiko Sata. Rest in pieces
@sibalomwana Chipwatanga, Jane… that’s a bit harsh. Are you guys human beings or animals? I mean even animals have a sense of empathy.
And the others arguing over the ‘cuteness’ of the deceased, come on people you could do better than that.
To the deceased, may her soul rest in eternal peace; and to her family and friends, my condolences, hope you could heal and recover from this tragedy sooner.
DEVIL WORSHIPPERS LEARN WHEN NOT TO BLOG.
How much life insurance did she have and did he add some more recently? Does the hubby have new girl friend? Thats where I would start my investigation. Sad indeed.
MHSRIP. Black people stay away from water please!
Jane u blong 2 hell
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You can save money for your own fuernal while you are still alive. Begging is for losers!!!!
May her family and friends be comforted by our Lord God Jehovah in Jesus’s name. Also for a way Lord for provision to be provided for her passage home from Aussie.
Now let African governments set up swimming pools deliberately for our people to learn real life swimming skills.
Um, I always stay near the shallow end mostly, swimming out to the deep end intermittently! Well you could get crump, no matter how strong a swimmer you are! It’s take your life in you hands!
Do NOT put such an idea in HH’s head, or at the next rally, HH will promise to build a swimming pool for each primary school in Zambia.
To all Zambians and to the family of the deceased i appologise to the remarks i made against the sister who has drowned. I am saying may God fogive me for the unwanted i have made.
And thank God DNPU will never rule Zambia. ..NEVER
JUST TOO MANY……………
Please refer to Bishop Chomba
I thank you
See, people will say what they want in a different way if the judiciary try to muzzle people!
The injunction is pointless and must be removed. It’s inapplicable. How will they minister it? Everyone will end up in Contempt of court, are there enough jail cells?
Sorry Cathy Darling. You are now in a better place with Sweet Jesus. God Bless you and your family. May a Bright and Beautiful light shine over you, with the perfect love of Jesus Christ.
It is correct we all contribute to bring her home, she’s ours; we hold our hands at this time not judge each other. Working as a Legal Clerk in a Cafe is never going to pay enough to give anyone dignity for crying out loud to the critics! Anyway, please note sometimes these funeral funds may not pay for flights. They pay for local burial. AND they usually steal your INNARDS as well, these Westerns!
Our gov’t should start embassy insurance funds into which all abroad pay into for body flights back.
Oh and she is absolutely a very cute girl. Beautiful.
Katondo Boys has really exhibited his hatred. against people. When you make such serious statements, you come to answer them at some point; and this is how life is. You will swallow your own medicine. Watch the space.
Some comments and mentality of zambians even in moments of grief is why the country is where it is now.!! Bamo muli mbwa sana.!
Condolences to the family but investigations should be launched why the husband allowed his wife to swim where there are signs for people not to swim. Sadly it is too late to ask Cathy why as a legal clerk she did not respect beach rules. We’re they drunk that they disregarded the signs? Here are lessons for every Zambian at home or in diaspora to respect the law and not be like PF which disregards the law and has brought divisions among us. Zambians. Some of the comments above show just how much we are divided and turned away from our One Zambia One nation motto. The Aussie spirit is like the true Zambian spirit which helps and Cathy’s body will be repatriated to Zambia.
am the mother to my beloved late daughter nd friend cathy bwalya Holland( mrs chikwanda) who died at trigg beach in ausstralia in 2015 respectively. just just now I had the energy to have a look at the msges nd comments that where carried out in your Lusaka times during the time of my daughter s demise. for sure any one can die at an appointed God s time for it is appointed for one to be born nd to die according to the WILL of God. God has His own plan nd HE has set a plan for each nd everyone of us according to His purpose. when ones s time come, no one can do anything becoz God has already said ” it is time” to the believer we mourn becoz we miss our beloved ones. to the non believers, I don’t know… I sincerely thank the people that made those wonderful comments, may the good Lord…