Durban - Parents who don't keep track of their children on crowded beaches over the festive season could be charged with child neglect, the eThekwini municipality has warned.
Christo Swart, chairman of the municipal committee tasked with making child safety arrangements over the holiday period, said it was time for them to lay down the law, Beeld reported on Friday.
“The municipality acts responsibly, and we want parents to act responsibly too,” he said.
A few years ago, there were cases involving children who had to spend several days in a place of safety before their parents fetched them.
“It's a very traumatic experience for a child.”
Swart said it happened often that parents only started searching for their missing children at sunset.
“We will warn these people, but if they don't listen, we will prosecute them according to the Children's Act,” he said.
The metro has, for the past few years, put measures in place during the summer holidays to take care of children who lose their parents among the thousands of bathers who pack the Golden Mile's beaches, especially on public holidays. - Sapa