The ANC in the Western Cape has asked Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to investigate the alleged racial incident at Cape Town’s Clifton Fourth beach in December. A furore erupted over Christmas after it emerged beachgoers were instructed to leave the beach. Beachgoers, including ANC provincial secretary Faiz Jacobs and his family, were instructed to leave the beach after members of a private security company, PPA, allegedly imposed an 8pm curfew, according to a report in The Citizen.

The actions by PPA sparked outrage, with many people drawing parallels between that and apartheid-era legislation and action which saw black people prohibited from frequenting beaches set aside for whites.

In his letter to Mkhwebane, Jacobs asks her to establish -

  • whether PPA was acting with the permission of the City of Cape Town or certain councillors, such as mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith;
  • if ratepayers and residents associations have paid for its services;
  • if PPA is a financial contributor to the DA; and
  • if PPA is registered as a security company.

The City of Cape Town has denied any involvement in the incident and accused the PPA of overstepping its mandate by forcing the closure of the beach.

Full report in The Citizen

See also: The Clifton controversy – what actually happened