Joburg ready for Easter weekend break, urges residents to be cautious

As South Africans wait anxiously for the Easter weekend break, the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (COJEMS) said it is on standby to respond to various emergency incidents that may occur.

The COJEMS is an integral part of integrated response services during the Easter Weekend, with the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), City of Johannesburg Disaster Management and other departments.

Inspections

Joburg emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said that during the Easter Weekend, fire safety officers will conduct special joint operations to check the approval and certification of firefighting equipment.

He said the officers will also inspect special events that have been approved by the city.

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Bad weather

With Joburg experiencing adverse weather conditions, Mulaudzi has urged residents to take precautions.

“Various parts of the City of Johannesburg have experienced the impact of recent storms with flooding of susceptible roads and low-lying areas/low-lying bridges, with most of the river streams being full.

“Our public education officials, together with disaster management teams, are working together conducting water safety awareness campaigns in all seven regions of the City of Johannesburg, targeting most of our vulnerable communities in low-lying areas,” Mulaudzi said.

Religious rituals

Mulaudzi also urged people conducting religious rituals during the Easter period to take precautions.

He said a number of drowning incidents were reported where people were swept away while conducting baptism/cleansing rituals during the Easter period.

“This is the period where most of the Congregants are flocking to most of our river streams to conduct Baptism/Cleansing rituals. During these rituals, congregants are swept away because of strong water currents; in most cases, these rituals are conducted at night when there is a risk of visibility.

“We therefore would like to plead with all faith-based organisations, i.e. Pastors/Bishops/Prophets, who might be tempted to conduct rituals to ensure the safety of all congregants,” Mulaudzi said.

Mulaudzi said the city of Joburg’s public education unit (Pier) will continue to conduct water safety awareness campaigns targeting all the river streams, shopping centres, and malls to ensure the safety of all residents during this Easter Weekend.

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