From exercise to human rights – 5 reasons why Cape Town protesters want beaches open

Beach protesters in Muizenberg in the Western Cape drew the attention of South Africans on Saturday as some criticised the demonstration while others supported it.

The protesters were demanding that beaches be opened, citing among other reasons that Covid-19 cases in the Western Cape were declining.

Most beaches in the country are closed under alert level 3 regulations announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in December. Beaches in the Northern Cape are an exception as the province is not a Covid-19 hotspot.

On Saturday law enforcement maintained a heavy presence to monitor the protesters who have been vocal about their reasons behind the demonstration.

Here are some of their responses in quotes:

‘Violation of human rights’

“Beaches should not be closed because the sea is essential for all of us. Closing beaches is in contravention of our basic human rights and tramples on our freedom of movement,” Samuel Sampeta told TimesLIVE.

‘We are not criminals so why chase us?’

James Malan questioned why police were coming after the protesters and not “the real criminals”.

“There are real criminals out there. These people aren’t criminals. What the f*** are they doing?”

‘Higher chances of catching Covid-19 at a mall’

“We feel the beaches should be opened again. We don’t want the masses here but to be able to swim and surf. We feel you’re more likely to catch the coronavirus in a busy shopping centre than when walking your dog and swimming in the sea. Surfers do maintain social distancing between each other,” said a protester who spoke to Newzroom Afrika.

‘Festive season is over’

“The festive season is over. Most people are back at work and many people rely on surfing for their daily exercise. It should no longer be banned,” a protester told eNCA.

‘What does Covid-19 have to do with the beach?’

“ People are social distancing and wearing their masks. I can’t see any sense in this,” said a woman protester

Asked about those who did not wear masks nor observe social distancing, she said: “But they just want to swim.”