Parents Speak Out On Tragic Loss of Son, Medhi Narjissi
By Priscilla Jepchumba
Jalil Narjissi, a former hooker for Agen, and his wife Valerie recently spoke about the tragic disappearance of their son Medhi, who was on tour with the France U18s in South Africa. Medhi, a 17-year-old fly-half from Toulouse, was swept away by a wave and the current off the Cape of Good Hope during the annual six-team International Series in the southern hemisphere.
The French team had planned a recovery session in the water at Dias beach, which turned into a disaster when Medhi got into difficulties. As a result, the FFR temporarily suspended all its U18 staff due to an ongoing investigation into the tragedy.
The Narjissi family, having returned from South Africa, expressed their immense anger regarding the loss of their son for the first time on Tuesday. Jalil Narjissi mentioned that while it wasn’t uncommon for French teams to visit the Cape of Good Hope, recovery swims had never taken place at Dias Beach.
Talking to the media, Narjissi discussed the incident. “What I know, after a long week of conducting our own investigation, is that the French teams go to the Cape of Good Hope every year, for a day of discovery, with a visit to the port. But they have never done this recovery swim at this place,” he said.
“You are on one of the most dangerous beaches in South Africa; we have met a few surfers who themselves told us that the site is very dangerous, with huge waves, and rip currents that sweep you away and carry you away. The sand creates holes under your feet. You don’t have to be a pro coach to understand that it’s dangerous. Any person, any parent… It’s unimaginable.”
Narjissi detailed the French staff's actions on the beach during the emergency and expressed dissatisfaction with their response. They praised the efforts of the one teammate who attempted to rescue Medhi.
“Oscar, he is a hero to me. He had the balls to go. Even if he could not do anything, he is my hero. And no adult moved? Another child almost died… Oscar took more than 20 minutes to get back to the shore when he was two meters tall and a good swimmer. And no adult did anything. They left them in the water.”
“It’s not an accident, it was caused. A bus accident, a plane crash, or if Medhi gets hurt and becomes paraplegic, we are all sorry, dejected. But not this, not something like that. They played with the lives of our children. It was ours who disappeared. Medhi was our son, but they also played with the lives of other children,” he concluded.
JUDY ROTICH