Ballito Rage festival cancelled after 36 test positive for Covid-19

The popular Ballito rage festival has been cancelled on Wednesday morning after 36 people tested positive for Covid-19.

The student event, held in KwaZulu-Natal, attracts hundreds of youngsters between the ages of 18-25 from all over the country.

Last year, 984 of 1 322 pupils from Gauteng who attended the event tested positive for Covid-19 with most of them being from Tshwane and Johannesburg.

The festival opened its doors on Tuesday and has through its processes found 32 guests and four staffers to be Covid-19 positive.

In a statement on their website, event organizers said since the start of the event “unprecedented” Covid-19 protocols were in place, including mandatory vaccinations for all staff and guests as well as pre-arrival Covid-19 tests for all guests.

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“A testing facility was set up near the event site and staff testing commenced on November 29; of the first 122 staff members tested, zero presented positive,” the statement read.

“On November 30, all remaining staff and all guests underwent Covid-19 tests at the testing facility near the event site before entering the event.

“Between 14:00 and 22:00, 940 guests and staff were tested and 32 guests and four staff presented positive results. It is for this reason that the event organisers have decided to cancel the remainder of Ballito Rage.”

Organisers said they had the Department of Health on-site and worked with their team to conduct contact tracing and ensure the necessary isolation of positive individuals and staff as per government protocols.

After a further review on Wednesday morning, a decision was made to cancel the event going forward based on the data.

“It is our responsibility to act based on facts, collaboration and the resources and tools we have available,” the statement further reads.

“Whilst we understand the disappointment that this causes for those who were looking forward to enjoying the festival, these are unprecedented times. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and support.”

They said ticketholders would receive further information in the coming days via email.

“We highly commend and sincerely thank our partners at the Kwa-Zulu Natal and Illembe Departments of Health, Local Municipality, SAPS, Chamber of Commerce, and all others who have worked with us daily from the beginning to deliver the safest event possible in these extraordinary times.”

Meanwhile, another popular festival, the Plett Rage in the Western Cape is set to continue with all guests expected to produce a vaccination certificate as well as take PCR test upon arrival.

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