Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor, Nqaba Bhanga, has commended the collective effort displayed by law enforcement agencies to control the influx of beachgoers in the City over the weekend.
Following the easing of the COVID-19 Alert Level 3 restrictions, the City implemented a safety and security plan to ensure that residents and visitors adhere to the regulations.
The Executive Mayor said the City’s Metro Police officers, traffic officers, security guards and lifeguards did a commendable job over the weekend.
“We saw scores of residents and visitors visiting all our beaches. A Law Enforcement Plan was drafted and implemented. This operational strategy kicked off on Friday with a concentration on visible patrols in the vicinity of the beaches and foot patrols by all law enforcement personnel on all the beaches.
“The scenes that are circulating on social media were reported to law enforcement on Saturday afternoon, and to this end, all applicable role players that were on scene responded as well as additional units were dispatched to assist. Back up from the SAPS was requested and they responded,” Bhanga said.
The beaches will be closely monitored to avoid a re-occurrence, and resources will be aligned in terms of situational appropriateness.
A total of 10 people were arrested in Walmer on Friday after they were found in transgression of the curfew under the Disaster Management Act and nine people were arrested in Kabega Park on Saturday, with eight found to be in transgression of the curfew and one motorist arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Bhanga urged all community members to take note that the virus is still amongst us.
“We must all play our part in behaving responsibly during this time. Wear our masks, maintain social distance, sanitise and, do not consume alcohol in public spaces. Stay safe, because together we can beat this,” he said.
