More than 120 undocumented foreign nationals have been arrested at the Durban beachfront. They were arrested during Police Minister Bheki Cele’s walkabout in the area.
The majority of those taken into custody are said to be from Malawi.
Cele says beachgoers seemed to have obeyed the city’s by-law that forbids drinking in public.
“I think there are thousands and thousands of beachgoers here. The behaviour up to this point seems to be fine. The strategy of not allowing alcohol to come here has helped us a lot. For the first one and a half-hour session, we have arrested 121 undocumented people on this beach 121 and counting. We just find then in big groups. You ask the papers and find no papers, no passport, nothing and most of them come from Malawi.”
More than 2.1 million people have descended on beaches in the eThekwini metro to celebrate the start of the New Year. Many say it has become their tradition to go to the beach each year on New Year’s Day.
“It’s New Year’s day and I’m out to enjoy myself with my family. It’s a tradition that we come to the beach at this time and it’s important to us. It’s very important because it’s our tradition that’s how we grew up. The family must be united with everyone.”
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