Busy festive season on beaches
The City of Cape Town’s lifeguards and other emergency services responded to more than a dozen non-fatal drownings since the start of the summer season.
In the latest incidents on Sunday January 2, a woman in her 30s was transported to hospital from St James Beach, while a 30-year-old man received medical attention before being transported to hospital from Monwabisi Beach.
On New Year’s Day, a 10-year old girl drowned at Strand Beach, and just hours later, a man was swept off the rocks at Graaff's pool in Sea Point.
The City’s mayoral committee member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross, said these incidents have cast a pall on the festive season.
The City’s social development and early childhood development department, meanwhile, has tagged 76 725 children since its annual Identikidz project launched in mid-December (“City staff tag kids at beaches”, December 21). During the three-week period, 183 children were successfully reunited with their families.
Over the New Year’s weekend, a total of 27 272 children were tagged at participating beaches. A total of 38 children were reunited with their families – including 10 at Strandfontein, and five at Camp’s Bay.
“The Identikidz project is once again proving its worth as an extra layer of protection and peace of mind for our beachgoers. To those beachgoers who are making use of the project, we say thank you, and if you haven't yet, next time you visit the beach, please stop by and find out more about it, and how it can benefit your children,” said Ms Van Der Ross.