City sees just under 22 000 children tagged over long weekend as part of metro’s 'Identikidz programme'

Just under 22 000 children were tagged at Cape Town beaches over the past weekend, as part of the City of Cape Town’s Identikidz programme.

The Identikidz project allows children to be tagged on arrival at the beach, with a band containing their caregiver’s details. In the event that a child gets separated from their family, responders can use the contact information to reunite them.

PHOTO: City of Cape Town

According to figured provided by the City, 21 864 children were tagged at 15 beaches, and 38 reunited with their families. Muizenberg beach was the busiest with 3 264 children tagged, followed by Strandfontein (3 092) and Strand (2 473).

Last year, the first weekend saw 19 110 children tagged, and nine reunited. It's an increase of 14.4% year on year.

Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services & Health, Patricia van der Ross, said one child was handed over to the Provincial Department of Social Development at the end of the beach day, and reunited with their parents in Lwandle.

‘’I am really happy with the solid start to the programme. This past long weekend was an incredibly busy one on the City's beaches, and we're expecting even bigger crowds over the coming weeks. Please find the Identikidz registration desk if you're visiting one of the participating beaches, and get your little ones tagged. It's safe, brings peace of mind and makes it so much easier to link children with their families should they become separated or wander off.’’

Done By: Esobusi Mkangelwa