Beach closed Ramaphosa

Photo: Peter Burka / Flickr

Sea, sand, banned: Ramaphosa reveals these beaches are ‘closed for Christmas’

Cyril Ramaphosa has come to a tough decision on Monday, confirming that many major beaches in South Africa will be closed during the Christmas holidays.

Beach closed Ramaphosa

Photo: Peter Burka / Flickr

Things aren’t going so ‘swimmingly’ for our coastal residents and tourists this Christmas. During his address to the nation on Monday, Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that many beaches across the country would be closed-off throughout December.

Confirmed: SA beaches will be closed over Christmas

The divisive rules have been brought in amid a flood of COVID-19 infections that has engulfed South Africa. The second wave was declared last Wednesday, and since then, we’ve recorded our worst days of ‘new cases’ since the first peak in August. Mzansi faces a very difficult festive season, forcing President Ramaphosa to take action.

More localised hot-spots have been identified this evening, as curfew and alcohol restrictions tighten in the regions that are worst-hit by coronavirus. However, the decision to shut down these beaches has been on the cards for a little while now.

Legislatures in both the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal had been discussing the possibility of closing their beaches to the public over the Christmas holidays. High-level discussions between provincial premiers and the president were held over the weekend, and despite some pushback from the Western Cape, the closures will be implemented this week.

Which beaches are closed in South Africa?

Here is the full list of beaches that will be closed over Christmas:

  • A differentiated approach has been implemented across four provinces.
  • Beaches in all of the Eastern Cape and Garden Route will be shut down from midnight.
  • In KZN, their beaches will be closed on 16, 25, 26, and 31 December 2020, and 1-3 January 2021.
  • All beaches in the Western Cape (bar the Garden Route) and Northern Cape are allowed to open.
  • The measures will be in place until 3 January 2021 and will only be lifted pending a review.

The arguments for and against this lockdown restriction

There is a fear that beaches can attract large groups of people, and have them all congregate in one location. The crowds expected at Durban Beachfront are a particular source of concern, as mentioned by Sihle Zikalala last week. However, this opinion has been openly challenged by the DA, who believe that the beach closures are ‘illogical’.

Shadow tourism minister Manny de Freitas maintains that, without beaches, more people are likely to meet in indoor settings with poor ventilation – conditions where COVID-19 generally thrives. Getting the restrictions right during this lockdown is always tricky for Cyril Ramaphosa, but he can expect a great deal of opposition to these plans.