Last week saw the launch of the City of Cape Town’s annual Identikidz beach safety programme which every year, since its launch in 2016, ensures that little ones are kept safe on the City’s beaches.

The launch happened on Tuesday December 3, at the Strandfontein Beach, where Identikidz officials came together to once again commence this child safety programme run by the City’s Community, Arts and Culture Development Department (CACD).

This year the programme—which entails the tagging of children at beaches with the serial number connected to the details of their parents on wristbands—will run from Saturday December 14 to the end of the busy festive beach season on January 12, next year.

“It is one of the most popular festive season safety interventions – last season 133 730 children were tagged over five priority weekends, with 302 children reunited with their loved ones, thanks to the programme,” said the City in a media statement.

At beaches in the Helderberg basin, Bolander last year received reports from the Mayoral committee member for community services and health, councillor Patricia Van der Ross on the project’s performance at participating beaches Strand, Gordon’s Bay and Harmony Park beaches.

Ms Ross revealed how last summer season the Strand beach recorded the highest number of children tagged by the Identikidz programme.

During this year’s New Year’s long weekend she said more than 6 487 children were tagged at Strand beach and 45 children who separated from their families were returned to them safely.

City statistics further reveal last season 4 978 children were tagged at Gordon’s Bay beach, with 11 reunited, while at Harmony Park an amount of 6 225 children had been registered with the programme with one child successfully reunited after becoming lost.

The Identikidz programme is run on beaches from 9am to 6.30pm. Watchful officials from the CACD Department will together with almost 200 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) staff be out at beaches to facilitate the programme.

Ms Ross said in the statement: “’We are grateful to once again have the Identikidz programme available on the City’s beaches to ensure the safety of children. As parents, we should always remember that we have a responsibility to care for our children and not leave them unsupervised.

“Please also remember that beach safety rules apply and that beachgoers should only swim in demarcated areas where lifeguards are present. Let us all adhere to the rules and work together to ensure a safe and enjoyable festive season.”

The programme will be at 16 beaches across the City. Beaches where children will be tagged by the programme include Strand beach, Gordon’s Bay, Harmony Park, Big Bay, Sea Point and surrounding area, Silwerstroom, Camps Bay, Lagoon Beach, Melkbosstrand, Milnerton Beach, Maiden’s Cove (only on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day), Monwabisi, Mnandi, Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and Strandfontein.

From this coming weekend parents will be able to tag children through the programme, giving them peace of mind on busy family beach outings.

Dates when Identikidz staff will be on duty are December 14, 15, 16, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31 and next year January 1, 4, 5, 11 and 12.

The public can call the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 from a cell phone and 107 from a landline in emergencies.

The Identikidz programme proved very effective at Strand beach last year and early this year, with more than 6 000 children tagged, one of them was the five-year-old Jacques Alexander. PICTURE: CARMEN JACOBS