Snl24 | Beaches overflow on New Year’s day

Many people headed to the beach in Cape Town on New Year’s day. Photo by Lulekwa Mbadamane

THOUSANDS of people filled Cape Town beaches to celebrate the New Year.

However, it was difficult to access the beaches due to heavy traffic congestion as thousands pushed to enter the beach areas. 

Speaking to the SunTeam, Agatha Pienaar (34) from Mitchells Plain who was at Mnandi Beach, said she has been going to the beach every year for the past 18 years.

“I never skipped any New Year’s Day at the beach. Even if we spend Christmas outside Cape Town, we will always come back to Cape Town and go to the beach on the 1st of January. My late parents taught me this tradition and now I’m teaching my kids as well. They never explained to me what it means, even now I just do it because that’s what they taught me,” she said. 

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Another beachgoer said he’s been throwing some coins into the ocean on the first day of each year since she was 15 years old.

People had fun at the beach in Cape Town on New Year’s Day. Photo by Lulekwa Mbadamane

He said his late gogo taught him the tradition which he said is “giving back to the goddess of the sea”. 

“My grandmother said she learnt from her own parents, so we kept following the tradition. She told me that if ever I do that I will never go to bed on an empty stomach because the goddess of the seas will continue to look after me. As weird as it is, I still continue doing it,” he said. 

Sivenathi Mhlaba(45) from Khayelitsha said he goes to the beach just for fun and he joins family and friends.

“It’s just a New Year, and we are here to have fun with family and friends,” he said. 

Police, traffic cops and law enforcement officers were all over the area searching for alcohol.

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