About 50 underage revellers were rounded up at Northcliff Hill’s famous water tower on Saturday.
The area around the Johannesburg landmark has become a popular spot for “chilling” on weekends and consuming everything from alcohol to drugs.
While most families were watching sport on television or visiting family and friends, some teenagers chose to enjoy the great outdoors at Northcliff Ridge Ecopark, a bit juiced and smoked up.
Local Democratic Alliance ward councillor Nicolene Jonker led a joint operation with the SA Police Service, Joburg Metro Police and a private security company to clean up the kids’ act.
She said: “Many parents have no idea what their children get up to when they go out, and this is not a safe place to picnic and get inebriated.”
Among those warned, about 10 were under the influence and in possession of cannabis. There have been several deaths at the Ecopark. In 2016, a man’s body was found at the bottom of the hill off a cliff and, months before that, a photographer died after slipping.
Jonker said: “It’s tantamount to looking for trouble, drinking too much, which could lead to bravado and irresponsible behaviour around steep cliffs and dangerous rocky areas.”
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Jonker plans to lead regular raids on the area to clean it up and highlight the problem of illegal consumption of alcohol and drugs by children who should be constructively occupied elsewhere.
She said: “Next time, offenders may not be as lucky [as to get away] with a simple warning. I am hoping this was a lesson to them.”
Ingrid Louw, alcohol abuse watchdog and communication organisation Aware.org.za chief executive, said on its website statistics show young South Africans are drinking from as young as 13 – a sobering fact.
“We must start the conversation earlier to effectively address the problem of underage drinking.”
