City ready for Easter weekend enforcement demands
31 March 2021
Media Statement by the City's Mayoral Commitee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith
The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate is squaring up for a busy Easter long weekend.
This in spite of the temporary amendments to the Disaster Management regulations announced by the President in his address to the country last night.
It remains to be seen whether the four-day restriction on alcohol sales for offsite consumption will have any impact on the drunk driving statistics and trauma cases linked to alcohol abuse.
The restrictions are not entirely unexpected, so it is safe to assume that many people will have stocked up for the long weekend. Illicit alcohol sales will likely flourish too, and there could be additional pressure on onsite consumption premises, which could potentially create other challenges for enforcement staff.
It is for this reason that the City’s enforcement and rescue services will stick to their guns on their operational readiness plans for the weekend.
Our departments will be conducting roving patrols, vehicle checkpoints and roadblocks in association with the South African Police Service to trace drunk drivers, clamp down on reckless and negligent driving and address general crime incidents.
They will also be on the lookout for alcohol consumption on the beaches and other public areas.
Since late January, when the country moved to Alert Level 1, the Law Enforcement Liquor Unit has confiscated nearly a thousand litres of alcohol from beaches over weekends.
In the latest incident last week, staff confiscated more than 150 units of alcohol in Gordon’s Bay and arrested two suspects for drinking in public and interfering in the execution of their duties.
So, in addition to the roads, staff will also be deployed to beaches and other public spaces to address anti-social behaviour stemming from alcohol abuse.
Other priority areas include monitoring for protest action, land invasions and general adherence to national Covid-19 regulations.
In the last week, the City’s enforcement services issued 641 fines for non-compliance with regulations.
Staff also conducted 264 compliance checks at swimming pools, 107 visits to various establishments, 329 visits to hotspot beach areas and 81 visits to Public Transport Interchanges.
Our appeal this Easter weekend really is simple – stay on the right side of the law, whether on the roads, on the beach or in the shopping mall.
And if you see anything that constitutes a threat to public safety, please call our Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone and 107 from a landline.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
