Cape Town: The annual ‘Identikidz Programme’ kicked off and a launch event was observed in Strandfontein today. An announcement regarding the availability of must have safety accessory was made for the young children, who are visiting the busiest beaches of Cape Town this season.
Reportedly, the Identikidz Programme is coordinated by the Community, Arts and Culture Development Department of the City of Cape Town and the safety accessories will be available from Dec 14, 2024.
It is one of the most popular festive season safety interventions, as last season 133,730 children were tagged over five priority weekends, along 302 children who were reunited with their loved ones, under the programme.
It is a great responsibility of the parents and the caretakers to ensure that their children are supervised each and every time. The City of Cape Town understands that there is a risk of separation on a crowded beach.
The Identikidz Bands are available and will be given after the arrival of the kids and participating beaches. The bands have unique serial number matched to a registration sheet that contains the contact details of a caregiver of the child.
The programme further connects with organisations to assist with interventions in the event of neglected or lost children. This further ensures the safety of children while visiting the beach.
CACD officials are in charge of this Identikidz. With the permission of parents or caretakers, the children will be registered and will be issued with an identification tag/wrist band. They will be assisted with the reunification of a lost or displaced child.
The registered kids will be working closely with the provincial Department of Social Development, the City of Cape Town’s enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service to ensure the safety and reunification of a lost or displaced child with their family.
Notably, the Identikidz Programme will be implemented on Dec 14, 15, 16, 21, 23, 25, 26, 30 and 31, 2024 and also on Jan 1, 4, 5, 11 and 12, 2025.
The Cape Town beaches that are participating in the programme are Big Bay, Sea Point and surrounding areas, Silwerstroom, Camps Bay, Lagoon Beach, Melkbosstrand, Milnerton Beach, Gordon’s Bay, Starnd, Monwabisi, Harmony Park, Mnandi, Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, Strandfontein and Maiden’s Cove (on Dec 26 & Jan 1 only).
Moreover, the CACD Department will now deploy 83 officials and close to 200 EPWP staff who will work closely with the Disaster Risk Management Centre of the City of Cape Town.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Patricia Van der Ross said that they are grateful for once again having the Identikidz Programme available on the beaches of City of Cape Town to ensure the safety of the children.
Ross added, “As parents, we should always remember that we have a responsibility to care for our children and not leave them unsupervised.”