Cape Town - City will not consider or issue any event permit applications until July 11, citing the latest amendments to the National Disaster Management Act, gazetted prohibiting all social gatherings.
Safety and security mayco member JP Smith said: “We empathise with the Events industry, which has been severely impacted by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. However, we believe limiting gatherings such as events is the best course of action to curb further spread of the Covid-19 virus. We urge all event organisers to adhere to the adjusted alert level 4 regulations in order to ensure the safety of all.”
He said over the last few weeks, the Events Department has cited some organisers for hosting events without permits as required by the City’s Events By-Law and for non-compliance with the national Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act (SASREA).
“The Events Permit Office is in the process of communicating to event organisers on the City’s database. The office will underscore the need for compliance and the importance of not hosting unregulated events while the country is battling a third wave of Covid-19,” he said.
He urged the public to work with officials to help put a stop to these unsafe and unregulated gatherings as they could put them at risk.
“These have the potential to become super spreader events that could lead to a further increase in Covid-19 infections because we have found that many have no security plans, inadequate Covid-19 mitigation measures and flout physical distancing protocols,” said Smith.
Anyone with information about an illegal event or an advertisement can email [email protected] or call the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
Cape Times