The City of Cape Town has appealed to the public to remain in the safe zones at beaches and other public amenities.
“Our beaches and swimming pools have attracted thousands of visitors so far this season, and we expect another bumper weekend as Cape Town rings in the new year,” the Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, said on Tuesday.
Since 1 December there have been 19 non-fatal drownings at Cape Town’s beaches. Four fatal drownings have been recorded over this period. Two are the subject of police investigations and two others were bathing related.
Lifeguards have also responded to 33 water rescues, 39 first aid incidents and 18 incidents involving anti-social behaviour at beaches, and two first aid incidents at swimming pools.
The City has reminded the public of its four rules of drowning prevention, which are:
- Swim only between the lifeguards’ red and yellow flags at beaches.
- Do not swim under the influence of alcohol.
- Be alert to the dangers of rip currents.
- Actively supervise children at all times, especially around water.
More information is available at www.thesafezone.co.za.
“To the public, don’t leave home without reminding yourself and your children about the golden rules of water safety, and if you’re at a beach where the Identikidz service is available, please make use of it,” Higham said.
The Identikidz programme has registered 55 075 children to date and reunited 78 with their caregivers.
Identikidz teams are deployed at popular beaches across Cape Town during the summer holidays to ensure the safety of young beachgoers.
More details are available here on the Identikidz programme: https://www.capetown.gov.za/departments-city-initiatives/community-arts-and-culture-development/identikidz-programme. - SAnews.gov.za
