A total of 38 children were reunited with their families after almost 22 000 of them were tagged with wristbands on 15 beaches at the weekend, according to a City statement.
This was in line with the City’s Identikidz programme, which encourages children to wear identifying wristbands on busy beaches during the festive season in case they lose contact with their parents.
One child was handed over to the provincial Department of Social Development and was later reunited with parents in Lwandle, the City said.
By location, Muizenberg was the busiest beach with 3 264 children tagged, followed by Strandfontein at 3 092 and Strand at 2 473.
Last year, the first weekend saw 19 110 children tagged, and nine reunited, which shows an increase of 14%.
The mayoral committee member for community services and health, Patricia Van der Ross called on parents to register their children on the beaches.
“This past long weekend was incredibly busy on the City’s beaches, and we are expecting even bigger crowds over the coming weeks. Please find the Identikidz registration desk if you are visiting one of the participating beaches, and get your little ones tagged.
“It’s safe, brings peace of mind and makes it so much easier to link children with their families should they become separated or wander off,” she said.
Participating beaches are Big Bay, Camps Bay, Fish Hoek, Gordon’s Bay, Harmony Park, Lagoon Beach, Melkbosstrand, Milnerton Beach, Mnandi, Monwabisi, Muizenberg, Sea Point and surrounding area, Silwerstroom, Strand and Strandfontein.
