Incident-free long weekend in Durban
More than 1 686 174 people visited various beaches around the City during the long weekend.
IT WAS a fun-filled incident-free weekend, with no drownings reported. More than 1 686 174 people visited various beaches around the City during the long weekend. eThekwini Municipality’s Head of Communications, Tozi Mthethwa said 64 children were separated from their guardians/parents.
“With the help of child minders that are located on the beachfront, all children were successfully reunited with their families on the same day. A dedicated team of 154 lifeguards made up of both permanent and seasonal lifeguards were deployed across the beachfront during this period. They successfully carried out 11 rescues and a total of 1 905 people received first aid treatment mostly for bluebottle stings, jellyfish stings and minor cuts,” said Mthethwa.
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Chairperson of the Municipality’s Festive Season Management Committee, Malcolm Canham said that numbers are expected to rise from today. He appealed to visitors to cooperate with law enforcement officers.
“I am pleased to report that it was a generally incident-free weekend with the exception of the two people who were arrested for cellphone and handbag theft. As much as we have beefed up security at our beaches, we appeal to beachgoers to ensure that there is always someone looking after their personal belongings,” said Canham.
Beachgoers are also encouraged to make use of the Park and Ride system in order to limit traffic congestion at the beach.
READ RELATED: Thousands flock to Durban beaches for weekend fun
“When parking is full at the beach, people are encouraged to park at the Natal Command Site and the old Drive-In Site. We have People Mover Buses that have been provided to ferry people to the beach at no charge and they depart every 30 minutes,” added Canham .
The Metro Police Spokesperson Senior Superintendent, Parboo Sewpersad said that the City was applying a very stringent approach to policing drunk driving.
“A total of 172 motorists were arrested for drinking and driving at various roadblocks. There were two fatalities reported, a man who was under the influence of alcohol was knocked by a car and died at the scene on the N2 near Petro Port and another female died in a hit and run incident on Botanic Gardens Road. As much as we appeal to people not to drink and drive we also want to appeal to pedestrians not to drink and walk,” said Sewpersad.
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