For the first time ever, Castle Beach in Pearly Beach, has been awarded Blue Flag beach status joining the three other beaches in the Overstrand - Grotto, Hawston and Kleinmond.

These beaches have earned Blue Flag status for the upcoming 2019/20 holiday season which opens officially on 1 December 2019.

Added to the local Blue Flag portfolio, is pilot status for Onrus Beach.

The shark-cage diving boats operated by Marine Dynamics and Great White Shark Tours, as well as the two whale-watching boats operated by Dyer Island Cruises have also earned their Blue Flag status.

This year's announcement was made at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town earlier today (23 October 2019).

All together 45 South African beaches, 9 marinas and 10 sustainable tourism boats were awarded Blue Flags, of which 33 received the title in the Western Cape.

All fireworks have been banned and Overstrand Municipality would like to remind residents and holiday-makers once again that the discharge of fireworks is not permitted anywhere in the Overstrand region.

Street vendors are not permitted to sell fireworks as it is illegal to detonate fireworks on beaches or in any public space.

Flares are only permitted from vessels at sea in the event of an emergency. The discharge of any fire crackers is also prohibited in terms of the applicable by-laws of the Municipality.

We would like to appeal to residents and visitors not to use Chinese sky lanterns as these pose a significant fire risk to surrounding fynbos, etc with their uncontrolled landings.

“Our area is very dry because of the ongoing drought. This means that there is a high risk of fires starting.

“We appeal to everyone to co-operate with law enforcement agencies in this regard. Let us work together to make the festive season celebrations safe and happy for all,” says Overstrand Fire Chief Lester Smith.

In case of an emergency please contact Overstrand Fire & Rescue on 028 312 2400.

Overstrand Fire Chief, Lester Smith, appeals to all residents to exercise extreme caution in as far as fires are concerned.

“Our fire fighters are ready. Practices are held on a regular basis to prepare our fire fighters, but as the old adage goes: Prevention is better than cure,” he said.

In case of an emergency please contact Overstrand Fire & Rescue on 028 312 2400.

Also, please do report any suspicious activity immediately to your nearest police station or call Overstrand’s Law Enforcement on 028 313 8996 or 028 313 8000 for general enquiries or 028 313 8111 for issues relating to municipal infrastructure.

Applications are invited for the following EPWP seasonal vacancies for the period of 25 November 2019 to 13 January 2020 (period may be amended)

Seasonal Workers Gansbaai 2019/2020
Seasonal Workers Hermanus 2019/2020  
Seasonal Workers Kleinmond 2019/2020

Full particulars and application forms are obtainable from Overstrand Municipality Hermanus, Kleinmond, Gansbaai and  Stanford Offices or you can download the form here.

For more information contact the LED Office on 028 313 5071/5044.