Ahead of the summer tourism surge, the City of Cape Town has deployed more than 680 lifeguards to its beaches and swimming pools, Cape {town] Etc reports.
According to the City, this forms part of a record festive safety deployment of over 5000 personnel across the metro.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis launched the City’s drowning prevention plans with Councillor Patricia van der Ross, mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, at the Lifeguarding Clubhouse on Clifton 4th Beach on Monday, 2 December.
The City is deploying 340 beach lifeguards and 343 swimming pool lifeguards as part of its drowning prevention campaign.
Lifeguards will be on duty at 29 different beaches, tidal pools, stretches of coast and all public swimming pools daily between 10am and 6pm.
Partners include Lifesaving Cape Town, with 14 coastal clubs and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), ready to deploy rescue swimmers and vessels from eight stations across the city.
The City’s Identikidz child safety project will be in full swing, with this initiative tagging more than 130 000 children last summer.
‘Cape Town is expecting record numbers of visitors to our shores this festive season, bringing a welcome boost to our local economy and supporting tens of thousands of jobs,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
‘We are excited to welcome the world to our pristine beaches, where we will be pulling out all the stops to ensure a safe and enjoyable festive season.’
‘Visitors can expect well-trained lifeguards, an extensive child safety programme to prevent lost children, vehicle checkpoints, visible policing, and bolstered area cleaning services.’
Drowning statistics in Cape Town have improved, with fatal drownings down 26% in the 2023/24 summer season.
The coast saw 30 non-fatal drownings, 14 fatalities, and 80 rescues, while municipal pools reported no drownings.
‘The improved statistics are welcomed, but one drowning is one too many. Even more heart-breaking is that all of the fatal drownings last season happened outside designated bathing areas, or during times when lifeguards were not on duty,’ said mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross.
‘Our lifeguards are dedicated professionals who play a crucial role in safeguarding beachgoers, but it is a shared responsibility.’
‘Please adhere to the rules, and support our lifeguards, so that we can ensure a safe and memorable beach experience for everyone.’
City safety operations will be coordinated from special Beach Joint Operational Centres (JOCs), reporting to the central Metropole Integrated JOC at the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) in Goodwood, as well as the SAPS Command Centre.
Vehicle checkpoints will be in place on major routes to beaches, with officers clamping down on alcohol-use and anti-social behaviour in public spaces.
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Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook
