Dr Zahid Badroodien, mayco member for community services and health, and Stewart Seini, lifeguard operations manager for the NSRI, inspect the Drowning Prevention Operational Hub that was launched at Table View Beach on Friday November 13.
Amobile unit to prevent drownings has been parked in Otto du Plessis Drive in preparation for summer.
The City of Cape Town and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) launched it at Table View Beach on Friday.
The mobile unit will be a vantage point for lifeguards.
It will display warnings about rip currents at the beach and advisories to swim at the safer Big Bay or Milnerton beaches.
Dr Zahid Badroodien, mayoral committee member for community services and health, called the beach a “drowning hot spot” that accounted for a quarter of Cape Town’s fatal summer drownings.
“Working together with the City of Cape Town to put lifeguards on this iconic stretch of beach is important for our vision of ‘zero drownings’,” said Stewart Seini, lifeguard operations manager for the NSRI.
The City has allocated eight seasonal and one senior seasonal lifeguards to the Table View beachfront, daily, from 10am until 6pm.
Lifeguards will not set up a swimming area on the beachfront, as the prevalent rip currents do not allow for safe swimming.
“Lifeguards play a key role in ensuring the safety of all beachgoers, but they cannot do it alone. I urge beachgoers to do their part and make this summer memorable for the right reasons,” said Dr Badroodien.
Visitors to the beach are asked to remember the four golden rules of summer: