‘Heads should roll’ – Patricia de Lille on Clifton Beach closure

GOOD leader Patricia de Lille has criticised the silence from Cape Town’s political leaders following reports that people were removed from Clifton Beach by a private security company early this week.

In statement, De Lille said she was “appalled by the lack of leadership and accountability from Cape Town’s political leadership. They are absent.”

She said there was no “lawful” or “rational” basis for the security company to “shut down” the beach as the days of “curfews” and “restricted movement” were done with. De Lille further encouraged those were forced to leave the beach to lay criminal charges with the police.

“This conduct tramples on our hard-won constitutional rights and anyone who was forced to leave the beach should lay criminal charges with the police.”

Her party would call out those who claimed privileges they were not entitled to, she said.

We cannot build a prosperous country when we allow some to divide us or leave anyone behind.The City’s leadership needs to account for what happened and if PPA were acting without a explicit or tacit arrangement with Law Enforcement then criminal charges need to be laid against them. If they were acting in terms of some arrangement then heads should roll.”

But the City of Cape Town has distanced itself from the security company.

“We note the statement issued by the company in question, PPA, indicating that they were operating on the authority of the City of Cape Town. The statement is inaccurate,” said the city’s executive director for safety and security, Richard Bosman.

It further said:

• The City of Cape Town has no contract with PPA
  The City has at no stage given any authority to PPA to enforce by-laws. I met with relevant Area staff this morning to confirm this
  All City beaches are open to all members of the public. While the City is able to set times of usage at beaches, we do not impose this unless there is a specific threat to public safety
  We have confirmed with Camps Bay SAPS that no incidents of rape were reported on Sunday, 23 December 2018 at Clifton Fourth beach
  Private security companies have no mandate to enforce municipal by-laws. The City has acted swiftly to address the conduct of PPA staff once we became aware of it. Any person who feels that they have been threatened or intimated by PPA staff on the day in question, or at any other time, can lay a charge with the South African Police Service. Alternatively, complaints about the conduct of the company can be directed to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority.

Activists have taken to social media to invite people to protests and picnics that have been planned to take place today.

Read more: Protests, picnics planned for Clifton over beach closure furore

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