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Eastern Cape Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane is discussing with the national government the decision to close beaches and parks during the holiday season.
- Eastern Cape Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane has notified the national government of the decision to close beaches and parks during the holiday season.
- Large numbers of people have visited the beaches of the province during the period, something that, in the opinion of the provincial government, could encourage the spread of Covid-19.
- The province also suggests closures in other coastal provinces after KwaZulu-Natal made a similar request.
Eastern Cape Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane is in talks with the national government over the decision to close beaches and parks during the holiday season, and neighboring KwaZulu-Natal province recently made a similar request.
Mabuyane is expected to raise the decision, which he has already communicated to the national government, at a joint meeting on Sunday.
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“The leaders of the government of the Eastern Cape and its municipalities made the decision to close beaches and parks during this time because these places pose a great risk of spreading infections,” said Mabuyane spokesman Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha.
The decision followed an influx of tourists to the province’s beaches during the festive season, Sicwetsha added.
“Allowing swimming at this time, during the virus pandemic, will create big problems. We have seen a large number of [at] our beaches during this time and we have a duty to protect [the] people’s lives of [the] Province. We do this to protect lives. We think this is good for preventing the spread of the virus, “he said.
The provincial government hopes to close the province’s beaches with immediate effect, according to Sicwetsha.
“We are in December now and our wish is that, if we agree with the national government, we will do so immediately.”
The call for beach closures echoes one made in KwaZulu-Natal last week.
The KwaZulu-Natal government resolved to close all beaches in the province, but Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala later said the matter was under discussion with the national government and had not been resolved.
This was due to a debate on whether or not the use of beaches should be allowed and only swimming prohibited.
Zikalala said that the provincial government had chosen to regulate the use of the beaches rather than close them.
Sicwetsha added that the measure to engage with the national government also suggested that the beach closures become a “national decision”, which would then automatically include all coastal provinces.
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“What happens in these two provinces affects us and what happens in the Eastern Cape affects these two provinces. And even other provinces could be affected if you look at the migration of people from the Eastern Cape to places like Gauteng, the Northwest, the Free State and Northern Cape, “Sicwetsha said.
Sicwetsha added that the provincial government would also consider new measures on funerals because some Covid-19 cases stemmed from funerals.
“While we appreciate people wearing masks, we are concerned about what happens in the days before funeral services where a lot of cooking is done. In the culinary space, there are many items that exchange hands between the people who prepare the food and the sacrifice. This, along with the distribution of food during funeral services, favors infections. [like] to find a mechanism to reduce this risk. “
