Does anyone feel like going to Clifton anymore?
Yoh, there’s been so much drama at that beach: People being removed from the beach by private security staff, who are accused of employing apartheid tactics; black protest groups slaughtering a sheep to cleanse the beach of racism; animal protection groups up in arms; the City, which has been accused of being in cahoots with security, has come under fire, and in turn has taken action against the protesters.
Nope, Muizenberg sounds like a much more rustige day out all of a sudden.
So the government and the City have laid down the law: private security are not enforcers of the law or by-laws and are not allowed to shut down beaches or remove members of the public from beaches. Ever.
Thanks for the clarity on the issue.
There is another issue that is more worrying for Munier, though.
And that is the need for these security companies to be operating in the first place.
Whether they are being hired by wealthy property owners in larney areas or not, there is clearly a need for their services.
And that is because of a lack of safety and policing.
MORE ACTION, LESS TALK: Bheki Cele at Clifton
The security company in question, Professional Protection Alternatives (PPA), claimed two rapes had been reported on the day people were removed from 4th Beach.
They say there are skarremonkels lurking around the beaches, especially at night.
And they also deal regularly with drunken disorderly behaviour at the beach.
So they have their hands full, apparently.
Now if there was a strong police presence at our beaches, there’d be less crime and grime. Not so?
If cops were on duty, protecting beach residents and visitors alike, there’d be no need to employ these specialised security companies - who likely cost a fortune to hire.
And there’d be no guards bouncing people off the beach illegally.
Lack of policing is the root cause of the problem.
And it’s going to take more than a few beach walkabouts by Police Minister Bheki Cele to address this.
We need SAPS, Law Enforcement, Metro cops... everyone on the beat.