A beach enforcement operation in Strand ended with 58 units of alcohol confiscated and vehicles removed from the sand after reports of illegal parking and public drinking on Voting Day.
City law enforcement officers were sent to Strand beach after a regional inspector spotted a social media post showing vehicles on the beach shortly after 4pm on Wednesday, 4 November.
Wayne Dyason, spokesperson for Law Enforcement, said the first vehicle arrived at 4.28pm to investigate.
A complaint was also logged through the Law Enforcement control room shortly after 5pm, but officers were already dealing with the incident.
Dyason said officers from other units, including Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers, were brought in to assist. They had been deployed as part of the local government election enforcement operation before being redirected to the beach.
“Vehicles were removed from the beach and 58 units of alcohol were confiscated,” he said.
He added that many beachgoers abandoned their alcohol when they saw officers arriving.
Vehicles removed and alcohol confiscated
Ward 83 councillor Carl Punt said residents had raised concerns about vehicles being driven or parked on the beach sand and made it clear that the practice would not be tolerated.
“That is not allowed and will not be allowed,” Punt said.
He confirmed that several services responded to the incident, including five neighbourhood safety officers (NSOs) in his ward.
Punt said the public drinking was a separate offence from the illegal parking.
“People were also drinking there, which is illegal in a public space,” he said.
He described 4 November as an exceptionally busy day for authorities, who were already focused on the local government elections before having to redirect resources to the beach.
The City of Cape Town prohibits the possession and consumption of alcohol in public spaces and on beaches under its by-laws. Previous Cape Times reporting has detailed the rules governing alcohol at public beaches.
Strand incident follows mass gatherings at Clifton and Camps Bay
The Strand operation follows a much larger enforcement response at Clifton and Camps Bay beaches just over a month earlier.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 young people gathered at the beaches on Saturday, 3 October, in an event that ended with five arrests, 64 fines and about 1,000 units of alcohol confiscated.
Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that a 16-year-old was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol after an accident involving a City law enforcement vehicle.
Four other people, aged 17 and 18, were arrested for allegedly assaulting a law enforcement officer.
Cape Times reported on the arrests, fines and alcohol confiscations following the October beach gatherings.
The City has previously warned that alcohol is prohibited on beaches and in certain public spaces. Its festive season safety operations have included visible law enforcement patrols at beaches and other public areas.
Earlier reporting also highlighted the scale of the problem, with nearly 800 units of alcohol confiscated from Cape Town beaches during matric celebrations.
