Image of a beach with a tree in the foreground.
The City’s Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Patricia Van Der Ross says last weekend over 240 children were reunited with their families as a result of the safety programme. Van Der Ross says since the launch of the programme at 16 beaches in the Metro in the middle of December, almost 400 children were returned home safely, but 13 lost children were handed into the care of the provincial Department of Social Development when night fell.“Feedback from our project coordinators was that most of the children who were separated from their families this past weekend were not tagged, which made it even more difficult to find their caregivers.
Operation Hlangula was launched way back in 2010, as a safety net, especially with women and children in mind during the packed December festive season. Just one child went missing but was shortly reunited with her parents.