Prayer gatherings, festivals, parties and events to usher in the new year appear to be muted this year.
Cape Town’s *TOGETHER* NYE Party invites participants to buy a ticket and “join 14 of the Mother City’s best DJs and international stars” in “an exhilarating evening of joy” lasting seven hours hosted by house DJ Dino Moran. It is, however, a virtual affair.
Cape Town safety and security MMC JP Smith said the hospitality industry has suffered enough in the past 18 months.
“We are not going to be too aggressive with enforcement. We expect event organisers to be responsible, but where we find non-compliance, we’ll deal with the organisers. We are not going to try to deal with people who are drunk because that can become chaotic,” Smith said.
The eThekwini metro is also not planning to stop events in Durban, but will disperse people on beaches when there is overcrowding.
Festive management committee chair Malcolm Canham said they were trying to find a balance to support local tourism while not putting a strain on the healthcare system.
He said some organisers have opted to cancel their events.
“The Umlazi Jazz Festival has been cancelled by the organisers. They recognised that hosting an event at this time comes with a big responsibility and the risk is too great.”
He said they were expecting to see huge crowds at beaches on New Year’s Day.
“That is not a problem because we have patrollers on the beach, and as soon as they see we have a lot of people they can easily disperse them.”
Owner of the popular Club Envy in Morningside, Durban, Shivaan Azar, said there would be a New Year’s event at his club with one or two artists performing live. He said he would ensure the venue complies with all regulations.
At Chicago’s Piano Bar in Randpark Ridge, Johannesburg, a Gatsby-themed restaurant and bar on multiple levels with two bars, two dance floors, casino slot machines, live entertainment and live DJs, they will allow patrons to dance in the new year.
According to co-manager Casper Mazibuko, they have 80 bookings so far. He said they would restrict numbers to 60 people per floor.
“We will open upstairs and downstairs. All the glass doorways will be open and we will be observing all protocols,” he said.
The Blackdoor Lifestyle Lounge in Sandton, where a manager was arrested in October last year after patrons were partying after curfew, said they are not hosting a New Year’s Eve party, and neither is the popular Cubana hangout in Fourways.
Law enforcement agencies said there were no major events planned for New Year’s Eve in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg metro police department spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said officers will be on the ground to ensure enforcement of the disaster management act regulations as some people might host small events.
In Tshwane, spokesperson Isaac Mahamba said they have approved a few events taking place from this weekend. He said they would meet organisers in the next week to discuss New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day events.
He said hotspots they will monitor in the city on the evening of December 31 include Sunnyside and Church Square.
“On January 1, we know people usually gather in parks, for instance at Fountains Valley Resort, Atteridgeville Moroe Park and Soshanguve Block KK Park, so we will also deploy in those areas.”
Churches are also abiding by Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
Grace Bible Church in Soweto, with a seating capacity for 15,000 people, has moved its four-hour New Year’s Eve service online, said booking manager Xolani Moweni.
Senior pastor at 3C Ministries in Pretoria, Bert Pretorius, said the crossover service is very important for Christians and they were hoping government would extend the curfew until at least 1am.
He said that would allow them to host services indoors at about 40 locations in Pretoria.
“We will obviously comply and make sure we don’t have more than 750 people at each location.”
The Catholic church said parishes will host services on December 31, but these will be late in the afternoon due to the disaster management regulations.
Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said the provincial synod, the highest decision-making body within the church, had voted on mandatory vaccinations for all clergy to ensure maximum protection against the coronavirus, and complete compliance with the government, meaning “all services and gatherings follow all protocols”.
TimesLIVE
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