It took Durban metro police almost two hours to remove people from the surf when beaches closed on Tuesday. Thousands of people descended on Durban beaches on what is traditionally one of the busiest beach days of the festive season. However, metro police spokesperson Col Boysie Zungu said many bathers refused to leave.
Swimming after 6pm is strictly prohibited in terms of municipal bylaws because that’s when lifeguard shifts end. “The rule is enforced for bathers’ safety and to prevent drownings and other incidents,” he said. “The challenge was that people refused.
We spent almost two hours taking them out of the area.” Once out the water, the crowds “scattered all over” to consume alcohol, Zungu said. “We had to call the public order police unit to assist with crowd control. They assisted in monitoring the crowd until this morning, when public transport started to operate.
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Most visitors have now left, though we have some lying on pavements and in parks.” While the operational plan prohibited consuming alcohol within the beach vicinity, many people walked to liquor outlets outside the zone, he said. Ensure Security spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said shortly after 11.30pm on Tuesday, teams on foot patrols in the South Beach area discovered an unresponsive adult male. Paramedics confirmed the man, believed to be homeless, was deceased.
In Amanzimtoti, south of Durban, crowds also remained beyond 9pm while they waited for public transport. Ward councillor Andre Beetge said they had “an exceptionally busy day.” Clean-up operations stretched into the early morning shifts.
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