Cape Town - Expected good weather and matrics who will probably be celebrating their results has the City’s Safety and Security Directorate on alert for a busy weekend.
Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said that they anticipated people being out and about, and were preparing for what may be a busy weekend.
“With very good weather in the offing, we expect people to get out and about to the City’s many public spaces. We’re also mindful that the matric results are being released on Friday, and while it will be cause for celebration for many, we urge our young people to do so responsibly,” Smith said.
“While we’ve often cautioned against the introduction and consumption of alcohol in public spaces, the confiscation statistics over the past festive season once again show a very high level of disregard for the law.
“Our staff have confiscated 12 366 bottles of alcohol, amounting to just under 7 000 litres. That’s just 754 bottles fewer than were confiscated in the 2019/20 festive season, before the Covid-19 pandemic,” Smith said.
The City has appealed to residents to be vigilant at all times.
“Stay on the right side of the law, and listen to the instructions of enforcement and emergency services staff,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz has welcomed the enforcement activities carried out by the Western Cape Liquor Authority (WCLA) over the festive season to ensure that liquor traders complied with the conditions of their liquor licences.
According to the most recent report covering the period January 10 to 16, 2022, a total of 300 inspections were conducted, with 143 of these focusing specifically on underage drinking.
These inspections were conducted in a total of 27 areas across the province, including Bellville, Caledon, Constantia, Delft, Grassy Park, Sea Point and Wolseley.
The WCLA also conducted integrated operations with the SAPS and Law Enforcement in Philippi East, Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.
Fritz said that 300 inspections over a seven-day period equated to roughly 43 inspections a day, and “that excellent work rate is fairly consistent with the work rate before and during the festive season”.
“This means that while many people were on holiday, Liquor Authority inspectors were out working to ensure their safety. They do this through the important work of ensuring that liquor traders are compliant with the conditions of their licences,” Fritz said. “I want to thank them for this dedication to their work.”
For the week covering December 27, 2021 to January 2, 2022, a total of 316 inspections were conducted, with 122 focused on underage drinking. These inspections resulted in 11 non-compliance cases being submitted for prosecution.
They were conducted in a total of 31 areas across the province, with integrated operations being conducted with the SAPS and Law Enforcement on New Year’s Eve in Cape Town and Khayelitsha.
“I am also furthermore informed that 93% of licence holders have paid the annual renewal fee to ensure that their licences are valid for 2022, and I want to thank these business owners for their commitment to running their business within the rules,” Fritz continued.
“Other licence holders have until the end of March 2022 to renew their licences, and I want to encourage them to do so, even though they will now incur penalties. In that light, I want to call on the SAPS, once again, to clamp down on illegal liquor traders.
“These illegal liquor traders do not operate within the confines of the law, and I am convinced that many of the alcohol harms suffered by our society emanate from alcohol consumption at unlicensed outlets,” Fritz said. “We must clamp down on illegal liquor traders this year.”
The MEC concluded by encouraging all liquor consumers to act responsibly.
“We know the rules, and the rules are there for our own good. Don’t, for example, get behind the wheel of a car after consuming alcohol.”
He also thanked legal liquor traders for operating within the confines of the law, for running their businesses in a responsible manner and creating employment for many people.