Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s enforcement staff has confiscated nearly 5 500 bottles of alcohol being consumed in public spaces since 16 December. That equates to 2 941 litres, slightly higher than the total at the same point in the 2019/20 festive season.
There was a dramatic dip in confiscations last summer when beaches were closed due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
“These statistics are most concerning, as it means that people simply are not heeding our calls to leave their alcohol at home, showing very little regard for the law, their personal wellbeing and the safety of others around them,” mayoral committee (mayco) member for safety and security JP Smith said.
New Year’s celebrations around the city always involve alcohol consumption and Smith does not want to imagine what will happen on beaches and other public spaces this coming weekend.
“With the new year’s weekend still to come, I shudder to think what the totals would look like by next week. Drinking in public, and the antisocial behaviour that often comes with it is nothing to be proud of and it is time that we start calling out those who continue to engage in this selfish behaviour,” he said.
The City’s beaches were very busy on both Christmas and Boxing Day.
On Monday, 27 December, several public swimming pools were at capacity very early in the day, in spite of the gloomy weather conditions. Sadly this period was not incident-free. On Christmas Day, a ten-year-old boy drowned at the Camps Bay tidal pool.
“The City expresses its heartfelt condolences to his family during this difficult time. Our lifeguards also attended to three non-fatal drownings over the weekend, involving children,” Cape Town mayco member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross said.
“We ask that the public please work with our staff to ensure everyone’s safety, especially in our swimming areas. We are likely to have several more very busy days at our facilities, and as the City, we want everyone to have an enjoyable and safe day in the sun.”
Police Minister Bheki Cele recently destroyed around 20 000 litres of confiscated alcohol in Cape Town.
Weekend Argus