THE silly season is upon us and tis the time to be jolly, however it is also that time of the year when people tragically lose their lives.
Whether it be drownings at beaches or swimming pools, kinders being reported missing, road accidents – especially driving under the influence; the public is urged to remain cautious and not become a statistic this festive season.
A total of 660 509 patrons visited the City’s swimming pools between October 2024 and 10 April 2025. Notably, over 389 000 of these visitors were children aged three to 16 years.
A total of 49 near drownings were recorded. These were serious incidents that could have resulted in fatalities were it not for swift actions.
Regrettably, 14 drownings occurred along the coastline, of which 12 victims were male and four were under the age of 18. It was also recorded that in 2024, five people drowned during the off-season.
As part of its drowning prevention campaign, the City is deploying 340 beach lifeguards and 343 swimming pool lifeguards.
Lifeguards will be on duty at 29 different beaches, tidal pools, stretches of coast, and all public swimming pools between 10am and 6pm daily.
The Western Cape Mobility Department has issued a stern warning to motorists following an alarming 24 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol recorded in just one week.
Between 17-23 November 2025, the Provincial Traffic Services conducted 168 integrated roadblocks, vehicle checks and speed control operations across the province.
Just over 30 000 vehicles were stopped and checked, resulting in over 9 000 fines issued for various driver and vehicle fitness violations. Officers also recorded 200 speeding offences during this period.
A total of 46 arrests were made for various offences.
Western Cape Mobility Minister Isaac Sileku expressed deep concern at the spike in drunk driving incidents.
Sileku warned: “Every driver who gets behind the wheel after drinking is a danger not only to themselves, but to every person on the road.
“As we approach the festive season, we are intensifying enforcement to ensure that law-abiding road users can travel safely. Driving under the influence will not be tolerated, and we will continue to take decisive action against offenders.”
Chief Director of Traffic Management Maxine Bezuidenhout added: “The high number of drunk driving arrests is deeply concerning. Even small amounts of alcohol can impair judgement and slow reaction times. Our officers will continue to take firm action against anyone who chooses to endanger others by driving under the influence.”
Jermaine Carelse, Spokesperson for Fire & Rescue Services, said 22 mense died in fires between the period of December 2024 and January 2025.
In the past few weeks, Cape Town was hit by multiple shack and wildlife fires which has left hundreds of families dakloos and five people dead.
In a recent incident, a mother and her three minor children lost their lives in a devastating fire in the Siyahlala Informal Settlement in Langa on 1 December 2025. The 38-year-old woman and her one-year-old twin daughters and five-year-old son were unable to escape their home as the blaze swept through their community.
The fire destroyed 15 structures, leaving several people displaced.
Chairperson of the Community Safety Forum Abie Isaacs said bendegeweld on the Cape Flats is a growing concern, especially as it will be school holidays.
Isaacs explained: “The Community Safety Forum has noted with concern the rise in the death toll over the last few weeks on the Cape Flats, specifically to gangs and gang violence.
“It will be the December holidays and school children will be enjoying the holidays.
“Due to the constant gun violence, we need to advise families to be vigilant at all times. During this period, we have a strong focus on missing children and safety on beaches.
“We call on the community to be vigilant during this period specifically when going to use the ATMs and do banking.”
The city will continue its daily operations in support of the SAPS in gang violence hotspots, with over 1 000 LEAP Officers deployed in shifts in those hotspots daily. The festive season deployment does not affect this deployment.
Founder of the Western Cape Missing Persons Unit, Candice van der Rheede, said the number of missing persons varies each year, however she warns that children go missing at this time of year especially.
She said: “In December, we do receive a high volume of lost children between the ages of three to seven years old who are walking around and looking for their houses, not knowing where they are.
“During the majority of the time, their parents are out drinking or partying. I am not saying you cannot party, but do it responsibly and look after your child. Make sure to know your child’s whereabouts. Human trafficking is rife.
“Another case where children are also lost is when parents are at work. I do understand that parents need to provide for their families but make sure your children are with responsible people who you can trust.
“It is hard because most of the child murders are being done by people we know.
“I have a problem especially among teenage girls who think it it is OK to walk out and go somewhere without telling their parents and having a good old party and just walking in as if nothing happened.
“There are very serious cases out there where girls are being raped, attacked and murdered but then there are cases where others come along and think its OK to party, waste resources and put parents through immense trauma.”
Van der Rheede advises families to have a clear ID-like picture of their loved ones with details such as height, hair and eye colour and update the pic and their details elke six months.