Cape Town - The City of Cape Town is covering all bases ahead of the holiday season, and has released a comprehensive readiness plan that deals with everything from beach safety and crowds at major events to traffic management and crime prevention. It will be in effect until the end of the Easter holidays.
Anton Visser, the city’s safety and security manager for strategic and operational support, said the plan included a festive season co-ordination committee and temporary joint operations centres to deal with the influx of visitors during the holidays.
About 1 400 members of the metro police, traffic services and law enforcement will be deployed as needed. Increased police visibility will include roadblocks, foot patrols and by-law blitzes.
Visser said neighbourhood watch members would be sent to crime hot spots in Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. There would also be a bush-clearing drive.
The city has almost 1 000 professional firefighters who would be on duty or on standby at 30 fire stations. Additional seasonal firefighters would bolster the team to combat veld fires.
The city’s health services would step up its hygiene campaigns and 240 extra staff would help with educational initiatives.
The city, in partnership with Lifesaving Western Province, would appoint and deploy between 400 and 700 lifesavers. More than 2 300 temporary staff would provide extra cleaning services. - Cape Argus