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Monwabisi Beach in Cape Town.
Lirandzu Themba. (@LirandzuThemba)
- Failure to comply with the lockdown regulation could trigger the closure of beaches in the Western Cape, warned Police Minister Bheki Cele.
- Cele visited several Cape Town beaches on Wednesday to assess compliance.
- The visit came when the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal beaches were deprived of tourists due to closure regulations.
Failure to comply with Covid-19 regulations could lead to the closure of Western Cape beaches, warned Police Minister Bheki Cele.
Cele visited Cape Town’s beaches on Wednesday to ensure bathers adhere to Covid-19 regulations. He visited the beaches of Strand, Macassar, Monwabisi, Mnandi, Strandfontein, Muizenberg, Camps Bay, Clifton and Big Bay.
Accompanied by the police administration, Cele’s one-day visit to various beaches included inspection of operational deployments, as well as evaluation of compliance with closure regulations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday the closure of certain public beaches and parks during the holiday season due to Covid-19. The closure applied to all beaches in the Eastern Cape and Garden Route, while in KwaZulu-Natal, the beaches would be closed on what “traditionally are the busiest days of the season.”
Wednesday marked the first day of closures for the KwaZulu-Natal beaches.
KwaZulu-Natal Ministry of Transport spokesperson Gugu Sisilana confirmed the low levels of activity on the beaches.
“We have quite a few people in street vendors and informal traders, as well as people who run and walk, but there is absolutely no one swimming,” he said.
The Eastern Cape beaches were empty of tourists on Wednesday.
“All the beaches in the Eastern Cape are quiet. We thank our people for taking the call. The focus will be on the taverns,” said Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha, spokesman for Eastern Cape Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane.
Cele added that while the Eastern Cape had requested a blanket closure of the beaches and KwaZulu-Natal had opted for beach closures on the busiest days, the Western Cape had chosen to keep the beaches open.
“It is very clear and everyone knows it, in case of non-compliance or non-compliance with the rules, the [option] it will be there to close or partially close the beaches where there is no compliance, “Cele said during inspections.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith previously told News24 that limiting movement on beaches would be extremely difficult to enforce along the city’s 309 km of coastline.
Instead, the city of Cape Town would aim to encourage social distancing and reduce the number of bathers. Smith added that Cape Town’s beaches differ from other provinces with more “compact” shores where beach areas are shorter and easier to regulate.
Prime Minister Alan Winde told News24 that the beaches were under a municipal mandate. This meant that each municipality would decide how to manage its beaches during this festive season.
