The Identikidz Programme has registered 101 780 children at participating beaches over the peak festive season – a 13,5% increase compared to the previous year when 89 689 children were registered during the same period.

This season, 227 children have been lost and reunited and five handed over to the Department of Social Development (DSD) as their caregivers were not located by end of the beach day, compared to 256 reunions and 11 handovers to DSD last year.

Identikidz is implemented at 15 of Cape Town’s busiest beaches over the festive season, as well as Maiden’s Cove on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Beaches along the False Bay coast have the highest number of registrations – notably Strand, Strandfontein and Muizenberg. The programme concludes on Sunday, 18 January 2026.

Since October 2025, there have been 23 non-fatal drownings at Cape Town’s beaches, each of which could have ended in tragedy if lifeguards had not rescued them. Five fatal drownings – three of which were bathing-related and two others which are the subject of police investigations – were recorded along Cape Town’s coastline.

All fatal drownings took place outside of designated bathing areas.

All but three of the 23 non-fatal drowning incidents occurred along the False Bay coast, including four at Strand, four at Clovelly and three at Fish Hoek.

More than half of the incidents involved children between the ages of six and 17.

‘The statistics are a stark reminder that while our coastline is a wonderful attraction over summer, it needs to be approached with care and consideration. I want to commend each and every person who has had a hand in our festive season operations, from staff members to beachgoers and parents. Your support of our drowning prevention and child safety initiatives is a key reason why we have experienced one of our safest seasons yet.

‘That said, summer is not over – in fact, we are expecting another bumper beach weekend as the holiday season winds down, so I encourage and remind everyone to continue keeping safety top of mind, and to use the resources that we have made available in support of public safety,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.

To learn more about the City’s water safety efforts, visit www.thesafezone.co.za

A reminder that the four golden rules of drowning prevention are:

• Swim only between the lifeguards’ red and yellow flags at beaches
• Do not swim under the influence of alcohol
• Be alert to the dangers of rip currents
• Actively supervise children at all times, especially around water