The City of Cape Town and the security company accused of kicking beachgoers off a Clifton beach have insisted this incident was not racially-motivated.
They say people were not forcibly removed but were instead asked to vacate the beach for their own safety. The complainants say this was an incident aimed at removing black people from the beach and perpetuating racial separation. They were taking part in public hearings into the incident held by Parliament’s Environmental Affairs Committee.
The incident on 23 December still evokes emotional reactions from both the alleged victims and perpetrators.
Shihaam Samaai was one of those who were confronted by officers from the company.
Professional Protection Alternatives told them to leave the beach. She says she and her friends and family were clearly targeted because of their race.
“The racism was embedded in the structural inequalities perpetuated by the actions of the security company upon the instruction of ratepayers and I would say known to the City of Cape Town. Structural racism gets a system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations and other norms work in various ways of reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequalities and in this instance, enforces white privilege on the Atlantic seaboard,” says Samaai.
The company denies that anyone was forcibly removed from the beach.
PPA Director, Chris Diedericks, says they have been requested on several occasion by the city’s Law Enforcement unit, to assist with security.
“On 23rd of December, (we were) requested to assist with general safety of the public in the area by law enforcement due to the ‘uprise’ (sic) in violent and dishonesty crimes during the period of 15 December up to 23rd of December, which occurred not only in the area, but also on the beaches. PPA members, at no stage, directly or indirectly informed, instructed any beachgoer or community member that the beach is closed or closes at 8 o’clock,” says Diedericks.
The City of Cape Town has also denied that the incident was racially-motivated.
Mayoral Committee member Zahid Badroodien says the issue has been politicised. He accused the African National Congress (ANC) Provincial Secretary, Faiez Jacobs of dishonesty in the manner he reported the matter.
In the days following the incident, several people visited the area, including Mayor Dan Plato and senior members of the police services. It was then that a sheep was slaughtered on the beach. It has since emerged that Plato has laid a charge against the senior police officers for refusing to act against those slaughtering the sheep.
Major General Jeremy Veary says they had not been given sufficient reasons to take action and they were also concerned about the safety of innocent bystanders.
