The City of Cape Town is seeking a tour guide who attempted to intervene after a motorist was caught on camera discarding litter from his vehicle in the CBD.
In a viral video circulating on Facebook, the driver can be seen throwing litter out of his car at a busy intersection.
A tour guide, travelling in a tour bus behind the vehicle, approached the motorist, picked up the litter and threw it back into the car.
The motorist then allegedly threw the litter out again and made obscene gestures towards the occupants of the tour bus.
The DA’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said the city is now trying to identify both the motorist and the tour guide seen in the footage.
“A motorist tossed litter from their vehicle at an intersection in the CBD. A tour guide approached, picked it up, and returned it, but the driver threw it out again and gave obscene gestures to the tour bus occupants,” Smith said.
Smith stressed that littering is a criminal offence and warned the city would act when those involved were identified.
Under the city’s integrated waste management by-law, it is illegal for any person to drop, throw, discard or deposit litter in a public place, including roads, pavements and open spaces. The by-law also applies to motorists who dispose of waste from their vehicles.
Offenders can face on-the-spot fines, which typically start at several hundred rand, while more serious cases may result in heavier fines, criminal charges, or court appearances. In certain circumstances, the city also has the power to impound vehicles used in the commission of offences.
Smith said littering not only degrades the city’s environment but also places a heavy financial burden on municipal resources, with millions of rand spent annually on cleaning public spaces.
The city has appealed to the public to help identify those involved in the incident.
Anyone with information can contact the city anonymously on 021 480 7700 or email wayne.dyason@capetown.gov.za
TimesLIVE
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