Second to the Christmas festive season, the Easter weekend is traditionally a very busy time around Cape Town.
Therefore the City of Cape Town has prioritised an extension of the festive season safety plan, which involves a host of City departments assigning resources to designated priority areas, including on the roads and at events, public amenities and other spaces that attract high visitor numbers over this period.
Many of the elements of the very wide-ranging festive season plan will be replicated to ensure public safety, and measures will remain in place for the long weekends after Easter.
The City’s enforcement services are collaborating with a host of external partners, including local police, central improvement districts and neighbourhood watches.
“One of our key priorities over Easter is road safety,” said Alderman JP Smith, the City’s Mayoral Committee member for Safety and Security. “Historically this period is associated with an increase in motor vehicle accidents and related fatalities. Our appeal to motorists staying within City limits over the period is to refrain from drinking and driving. To those going away on holiday, make sure that your vehicles are in a good condition. The City will be hosting a two-day operation Exodus later this week for long-distance transport operators, but the message to all road users is to obey the law at all times, particularly sticking to the speed limit.
“Our enforcement agencies will also be keeping an eye on public amenities. Unfortunately, alcohol is a factor that bedevils public safety efforts,” said Smith. “And we will also be patrolling crime hotspots, in support of police.”
Preliminary weather forecasts indicate sunny conditions will be experienced over the Easter long weekend, which could drive visitor numbers to local beaches and other recreational areas.
Lifeguards will be on duty at designated beaches between 10:00 and 18:00 daily. Beachgoers are reminded to swim only at beaches where lifeguards are present and only in the areas demarcated for bathing, indicated by the yellow flags.
Municipal swimming pools that are operational will be open between 10:00 and 17:00, except Long Street, which will be open between 07:00 and 18:00.
“We want to ensure every person who comes to the beach or swimming pool goes home healthy and happy after a day in the sun,” said Councillor Patricia Van der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health. “So our appeal to visitors is to adhere to the instructions of lifeguards and to swim only in the designated areas, but also to be mindful of the fact that they’re sharing these public spaces with others. Too often we hear of reports of anti-social behaviour, so please consult the information boards at our facilities and familiarise yourself with what’s allowed and what’s not.
“From a health perspective, it is also our duty to remind the public of the continued protocols required of us all in terms of Covid-19. Masks are no longer required outdoors, but it is important to keep your distance and to sanitise regularly. And, if you haven’t yet received a vaccination, or your booster dose, please make it a priority before getting together with your loved ones this Easter holiday.”
