It is all systems go as thousands of holiday makers flock into town to bask in the sunshine of the Dolphin Coast.

The festive season got going with more than 200 000 motorists passing through Tongaat Toll Plaza and more than 150 000 through Umvoti Toll from December 11 to December 15 to take up the area’s holiday accommodation.

Ballito Accommodation manager Christine Grobler said all 168 of their units had been booked out by last week, with most holidaymakers arriving during the past long weekend.

“There has definitely been an increase of holidaymakers in the area this year,” she said.

With an influx of tourists, authorities have been kept on their toes to ensure order and safety.

Also read: Calling for law enforcement at Thompson’s Bay

KwaDukuza municipality media liaison officer Sipho Mkhize said the there would be no rest for traffic control, lifeguards and firefighters as they prepared to minimise accidents this year.

“From last Friday, we had a directive from government that traffic control must be on the roads throughout the festive period. Our officers have planned roadblocks throughout the KwaDukuza district.

“Our firefighters in Ballito and Stanger are equipped and ready for emergencies and we have ensured that every shift has a sufficient amount of firefighters. About 20 temporary lifeguards have joined our permanent staff to man the beaches.”

Umhlali SAPS spokesperson captain Vinny Pillay said road safety campaigns, beach patrols as well as mall and ATM surveillance were underway.

“Because we are understaffed, our administrative staff will also be out on patrol.

“Our officers will be ensuring that people  respect the laws and that people do not fall victim to crime at malls and ATMs.

“We know the hotspots from previous years and we are prepared.”

Pillay said although holiday accommodation scams had died down this festive season, with there being only one reported incident thus far, drinking and reckless driving still remained a serious problem.

“We had one report of an actual scam where a man was advertising a home in Ballito for rental. We were informed of another but the homeowner was contacted by the victim beforehand and a case was not opened.”

More than 13 people have been arrested for drinking and driving in the past week.

“This is a serious offence and we are not going easy on drivers, even if they are just above the legal limit.

“We urge visitors and residents to rather Uber or have a designated driver, to ensure the safety of all road users.”

During the long weekend, IPSS Medical Rescue’s Paul Herbst said they attended to about 15 serious motor vehicle accidents with six fatalities, some of which seemed to be as a result of intoxication.

“We are seeing motorists losing control of vehicles and accidents happening at night as people are leaving the beaches,” said Herbst.

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