Eight years after the South African National Government promulgated the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act, the City of Ekurhuleni finally complied and is now enforcing the act.
Ward councillor Jaco Terblanche, who is also a member of the community safety oversight committee, said pressure by the DA to enforce this crucial act had resulted in the metro heeding their call for greater safety.
“We will continue to monitor its implementation throughout Ekurhuleni, as we strongly believe the safety of people cannot be ignored,” he said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
In 2010, the South African National Government promulgated the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act. This act’s aim is to implement safety at sports and recreational events.
“As Ekurhuleni grows and hosts more sporting and recreational events, the public’s safety is of critical importance. Questions posed by myself to the council showed that of the around 600 events hosted by the metro last year, more than 165 of these events were not compliant with the act.
“The massive safety implications for non-compliance of the act could mean that the police and emergency services are understaffed or ill-prepared should an emergency arise. Transgressing this act can place innocent lives at risk,” Terblanche added.
“All the events that had been arranged by the City of Ekurhuleni did not go through the appointed committee for approval. This gross negligence put residents who attended the events at risk. Furthermore, if the appointed committee was functional, the noise levels of the events would be better monitored by the metro.
“It is important that we take this message to all the people of Ekurhuleni and help educate organisers and hold the municipality to account for the safety of sporting fans and festival goers.
“The DA was not the only organisation to highlight the non-compliance of this act, with the internal audit committee also highlighting the problem to the department in the last internal audit report presented to the municipality.”
