WITH thousands of revellers flocking to the main South Coast beaches to celebrate on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, law enforcement officers were hard-pressed to control the crowds.
Although some of the new year festivities had been a bit excessive, Hibiscus Coast law enforcement and SAPS officers had done well throughout the busy long weekend, said municipal spokesman Simon April. Law and order had been fairly well maintained. The new year exuberance had not got out of hand and only a few ugly incidents had marred the celebrations. Also, the municipality had not received any serious crime reports, Mr April added.
The municipality’s seasonal plans had included traffic management, which had included the closure of some of the roads near the beaches, with only residents having access to them, he said. Pointsmen and women had also been deployed. Plans had generally worked well although some traffic congestion had been experienced, particularly on Marine Drive .
“This will, for sure, require some improvement in terms of planning next year,” said Mr April, who asked motorists to cooperate by using alternative roads, away from congested areas, whenever possible during the busy seasons.
Although revellers have left the beaches badly littered on a number of occasions, the South Coast Herald has received many calls from residents and holidaymakers praising the effectiveness of the clean-up squads. Day after day, cleaners have been out and about at dawn, quickly and efficiently cleaning up after the parties were over, they said
Mr April said that the municipality had been well aware that there would be a need for massive clean-up operations after the celebrations and had been well prepared this year. However, Hibiscus Coast would continue its efforts to educate communities about the importance of not littering and of using the bins that had been provided.
