Identikidz bands are the ‘must have’ safety accessory for young children at beaches this summer. So says the City of Cape Town’s Community, Arts and Culture Development Department. The CACD is responsible for coordinating the Identikidz programme.
Identikidz bands are the ‘must have’ safety accessory for young children at beaches
The annual Identikidz programme was launched at an event in Strandfontein this week. The project commences on 14 December 2024. The Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia Van der Ross says Identikidz is one of the most popular festive season safety interventions.
She says, “Last season 133 730 children were tagged over 5 priority weekends, with 302 children reunited with their loved ones, thanks to the programme.”
Van der Ross added, that while it remains the responsibility of parents and caretakers to ensure that their children are supervised at all times, the City understands that there’s a risk of separation on a crowded beach.
READ MORE: City’s efforts to safeguard children shows results
The City’s Community, Arts and Culture Development Department on the Identikidz Project
A spokesperson for the City’s Community, Arts and Culture Development Department says the Identikidz programme aims to ensure the safety of children while they’re visiting the beach.
83 officials and close to 200 EPWP staff have been deployed to assist with the Identikidz Programme. The wristbands are available at participating beaches. It has a unique serial number matched to a registration sheet containing the contact details of a child’s caregiver. At the same time, the programme connects with organisations to assist with interventions in the event of neglected or lost children.
CACD officials will:
- With the permission of parents or caretakers, register children and issue them with an identification tag/wristband
- Assist with the reunification of a lost or displaced child
- Work closely with the provincial Department of Social Development, the City’s enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service to ensure the safety and reunification of a lost or displaced child with their family
MORE ABOUT: Child safety at beaches during the peak festive season
Here are the dates to look out for, when the Identikidz programme will be taking place, between 9 am and 6.30 pm
- 14, 15, 16, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31 December 2024 and
- 1, 4, 5, 11 and 12 January 2025
Here is a list of the participating beaches:
- Big Bay
- Sea Point and surrounding area
- Silwerstroom
- Camps Bay
- Lagoon Beach
- Melkbosstrand
- Milnerton Beach
- Maiden’s Cove (26 December & 1 January only)
- Gordon’s Bay
- Strand
- Monwabisi
- Harmony Park
- Mnandi
- Muizenberg
- Fish Hoek
- Strandfontein
MORE ABOUT: Identikidz Programme – City of Cape Town Link
Van der Ross says residents can report an emergency by phoning the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 from a cell phone and 107 from a landline.
