Cape Town records 7 fatal drownings over holiday period
The City of Cape Town has confirmed seven fatal drownings and 11 near drownings at beaches since the beginning of December.
Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services Patricia van der Ross says the drowning incidents happened at beaches that are not designated swimming areas, or occurred outside of lifeguard duty hours.
Seven drownings were recorded, with one person presumed drowned after going missing at sea.
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Identikidz Programme
On the flip side, Van der Ross says that the City’s Identikidz Project has been a success, with nearly 86 000 children tagged by the 1st of January 2024.
During the summer holidays, beaches can become overpopulated and often children are lost or separated from their families. The Identikidz programme provides safety for children and peace of mind for parents, by deploying teams to various ‘hot spots’ to register children and issue identification armbands.
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“Unsurprisingly, the New Year’s long weekend has been busiest thus far, with 36 959 children tagged, and 198 reunions,” said Van der Ross.
“Identikidz will still be available over the next three weekends at participating beaches and we encourage parents to continue working with us, and to make use of this incredibly valuable service.”
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Van der Ross also praised lifeguards for doing a good job at beaches over the peak holiday period.
Bumper holiday season
Meanwhile, tourism arrivals and visitor numbers to popular attractions in Cape Town surged over the past few weeks. The Mother City has experienced a bumper festive season, with around 31 000 passengers processed on some days at Cape Town International Airport.
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Additionally, the monthly tourism report, compiled by the Western Cape government, indicates a significant increase in tourism in the province between January and October 2023.