Buffalo City Metro has reinforced its workforce to ensure the city is ready to accommodate bumper festive season crowds.
The city has employed 36 additional lifeguards and 770 beach marshalls, who will offer security assistance, as well as 40 cleaners to be deployed around the beaches.
Over and above this there will be another 26 extended public works programme workers to help the cleaners.
The beaches under their watch extend from Gonubie in the east to Igoda in the west.
The Esplanade will have 20 daily marshals and a further 40 will be deployed around the other beaches.
While the lifeguards have started work already and will work until January 31, the marshals begin their stint on December 20 and it ends on January 3.
Metro spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said the “festive season” preparations would cost the city over half a million rand.
A breakdown of these costs are:
lHiring additional chemical toilets at all the beaches – R200000;
lRecruitment of 36 additional seasonal lifeguards –R288000; and
lBeach marshalls – R84 700.
On Gonubie’s main beach and at the river mouth there will be six lifeguards; at Bonza Bay and lagoon there will be another six lifeguards; while at Nahoon beach, Eastern beach and Orient pools and main beach there will be eight lifeguards each.
The Waterworld complex in West Bank, the western seafront rifle range tidal pool nearby, Leaches Bay tidal pool and Kidd’s Beach will each have three lifeguards.
Hickman’s River and beach and Igoda beach will have two lifeguards each.
East London has become a prime entertainment destination owing to the number of events hosted by the metro, including the city’s annual Buyel’ekhaya music festival.
“Our teams will be operational at all BCM-sanctioned events taking place within the city.
“We will be implementing strict security measures. We will also be enforcing the bylaw on noise, and event organisers will be expected to have sound engineers and hotline contact numbers for complaints around noise nuisance and other disturbances,” said Ngwenya.
Ngwenya said the main aim of all the added infrastructure and staff was to ensure a safe and happy festive season.
“These efforts include roadblocks and our state-of-the-art ticket reading bus systems.
“Our R16-million “big brother” camera surveillance project, which began in May 2016, will also be in action,” said Ngwenya.
— simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
BCM jacks up workforce for holidays
The city has employed 36 additional lifeguards and 770 beach marshalls, who will offer security assistance, as well as 40 cleaners to be deployed around the beaches.
Over and above this there will be another 26 extended public works programme workers to help the cleaners.
The beaches under their watch extend from Gonubie in the east to Igoda in the west.
The Esplanade will have 20 daily marshals and a further 40 will be deployed around the other beaches.
While the lifeguards have started work already and will work until January 31, the marshals begin their stint on December 20 and it ends on January 3.
Metro spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said the “festive season” preparations would cost the city over half a million rand.
A breakdown of these costs are:
lHiring additional chemical toilets at all the beaches – R200000;
lRecruitment of 36 additional seasonal lifeguards –R288000; and
lBeach marshalls – R84 700.
On Gonubie’s main beach and at the river mouth there will be six lifeguards; at Bonza Bay and lagoon there will be another six lifeguards; while at Nahoon beach, Eastern beach and Orient pools and main beach there will be eight lifeguards each.
The Waterworld complex in West Bank, the western seafront rifle range tidal pool nearby, Leaches Bay tidal pool and Kidd’s Beach will each have three lifeguards.
Hickman’s River and beach and Igoda beach will have two lifeguards each.
East London has become a prime entertainment destination owing to the number of events hosted by the metro, including the city’s annual Buyel’ekhaya music festival.
“Our teams will be operational at all BCM-sanctioned events taking place within the city.
“We will be implementing strict security measures. We will also be enforcing the bylaw on noise, and event organisers will be expected to have sound engineers and hotline contact numbers for complaints around noise nuisance and other disturbances,” said Ngwenya.
Ngwenya said the main aim of all the added infrastructure and staff was to ensure a safe and happy festive season.
“These efforts include roadblocks and our state-of-the-art ticket reading bus systems.
“Our R16-million “big brother” camera surveillance project, which began in May 2016, will also be in action,” said Ngwenya.
— simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
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