Two deaths occurred on Monday morning after the annual Adderley Street festive lights switch-on in Cape Town’s CBD on Sunday.
Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security JP Smith confirmed the deaths of the individuals, adding that investigations are being managed by the South African Police Service.
“We have … learnt that the SAPS is investigating two deaths in the central business district. One of these occurred in the early hours of this morning. Details around the second incident are still unclear as the person passed away in hospital this morning,” Smith said.
The switching on of the lights at Grand Parade took place on Sunday and an estimated 39 000 people attended.
A debriefing session by the city and its safety and security directorate along with other role-players is planned to be held soon.
The Joint Operations Centre (JOC) was implemented by the city to manage security and emergency units on the day.
According to the City, the JOC seized numerous dangerous weapons during the event, including knives, imitation firearms and 407 bottles of alcohol. No major incidents were recorded by the JOC during the event.
In 2017, a total of 1 88 bottles of alcohol were confiscated at the annual event.
SAPS reported that 15 cases of robbery that took place at the event were registered at the Cape Town Central Police station. A total of five arrests were made in the reported cases.
Smith assures the public that the city will be working with SAPS to uncover the reasons behind the two tragic deaths.
“The city will liaise with the SAPS around the progress of the investigations see what, if anything, could have been done to have prevented these tragic deaths,” Smith said.
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