Christmas was merry, sunny and safe

WITH visitors and locals making the most of the sunny weather, all Hibiscus Coast swimming beaches were absolutely packed throughout the Christmas period.

However, in spite of the crowds, sun seekers enjoyed peaceful, happy and, according to Hibiscus Coast Municipality spokesman Nomusa Zulu, relatively incident free holidays. She said there had been no serious problems relating to law enforcement at local beaches and, apart from one drowning at Anerley, there had been no major incidents.

The drowning had occurred at a beach that was not a designated swimming area, where no lifeguards had been on duty and where no safety equipment had been available. The victim had ignored signage prohibiting bathing there, she said.

“People from the Anerley area are well catered for, with designated swimming areas at nearby Banana and Southport beaches as well as at the many other official swimming beaches on the Hibiscus Coast,” she added.

The high traffic volumes experienced over the Christmas period had not caused undue problems either, she said.

Local business people, residents and regular holidaymakers have praised the effective law enforcement, crowd control and clean-up operations that have, so far, kept the South Coast running smoothly this December.

“As this is my first Christmas on the South Coast I can’t compare it to previous ones but I have been told by both residents and visitors there was a noticeable improvement this year,” said South Coast Tourism chief executive Justin Mackrory. He added that Hibiscus Coast Municipality had responded quickly to any tourism-related problems over the busy period and agreed with many business people who said the municipality’s proactive approach was proving effective.

He said the December holiday season had started a little slowly but it had quickly gained momentum and he expected the busy period to extend into the new year, until about January 5 or 6.

While he would be in a better position to gauge the season in a week or two, after he had been able make a formal assessment, initial feedback from local business people was positive. Owners of holiday accommodation establishments said their occupancy rates were between 80 percent and 100 percent, with many reporting full houses.

“I am cautiously optimistic the season will end up being a very successful one,” he said

As the South Coast Herald was going to press, Hibiscus Coast officials and law enforcers were intensifying their efforts, on beaches and on the roads, to ensure South Coast residents and visitors enjoyed a festive but peaceful and safe start to the new year.