Festive warning: Do not drink and drive, or drink in public, says the City of Cape Town

Cape Town - 120601 - A man on the way to fetch his wife was pulled over and found to have a reading of 0.78 on the drager which is almost four times over the legal limit - A roadblock was held by Provincial and City Traffic Officials on Modderdam road Southbound near the N2 (Bonteheuwel) on Friday night. In the first hour of the road block being set up 8 people were arrested for drunk driving (the lowest alcohol reading on the Drager was 0.38 almost twice the legal limit) The first people to be arrested was an off-duty police officer. The suspects were taken to the Bishop Lavis Police Station for processing. Also nabbed was a 17 year old taxi driver driving an unroadworthy taxi. The normal driver was too drunk to drive so they sent the 17 year old to drive the taxi. The taxi was impounded and the youth was taken to Bishop Lavis police station to wait for his parents before being charged. His parents were also allegedly too drunk to come to the scene. File Photo: Matthew Jordaan

Published Nov 23, 2022

Cape Town – The City of Cape Town says its law enforcement teams’ main area of attention throughout the holiday season will be alcohol use in public areas.

This comes after the City and South African National Parks (SANParks) embarked on a safety and awareness campaign in Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) ahead of the busy festive season.

The City’s mayoral committee (Mayco) member for safety and security, JP Smith, said the consumption of alcohol in public spaces will once again be a key focus area, as a major safety risk not only in terms of water safety, but also road safety.

Smith also appealed to the public not to drink and drive.

“It is a mammoth task, but one that we have refined over many years of implementation. However, the plan is also contingent on everyone doing their bit and so I appeal to the public to work with us this year by taking responsibility for their personal safety.

“Be aware of your surroundings at all times, know where your children are and ensure that they are supervised at all times but most importantly, leave the alcohol at home, and when you have been drinking, please don’t get behind the wheel of your car,” Smith said.

He said that the City’s enforcement agencies confiscate thousands of litres of alcohol over the festive season, with Boxing Day and New Year’s Day posing the biggest challenge.

Meanwhile, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis also confirmed that the City’s metro police, traffic services and law enforcement departments will be deployed in accordance with the festive season preparedness plan.

Table Mountain National Park manager Frans van Rooyen said their education campaign is underpinned by the belief that a safe visitor is an informed visitor.

“We appeal to park users to exercise caution while enjoying outdoor activities and always adhere to our visitor safety information tips and also load our emergency number into their phone before setting off.

“As we head into the busy season where we anticipate a large influx of visitors in the park, there are some challenges,” Van Rooyen said.

Cape Argus