The Kouga Municipality put together an operational task force that went out and clamped down on the sale of fireworks; they confiscated stock and issued fines to the guilty parties.
Eastern Cape, South Africa (09 November 2022) – The topic of fireworks is always a hot one and leaves many people feeling frustrated that not much is being done to curb the use of them. The Kouga Municipality performed a joint operation with Fire Safety, Law Enforcement, and the SAPS, to confiscate illegal fireworks being sold at shops in the area.
The action has caused an influx of praise for the teams helping to end the use of fireworks in South Africa. Sadly, while the light displayed are pretty, the effects of the sounds and bangs are detrimental to wildlife, domesticated animals and humans from all walks of life.
There are specific bylaws in place that make provisions for the responsible use of fireworks but sadly, in many cases, these are outright ignored or are not known by the general public.
In 2020, the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital shared insight into the bylaws. This was done to raise awareness about what happens to our smaller, indigenous wildlife when fireworks are used.
“the use of fireworks is regulated by bylaws under the Explosives Act, 1956. Fireworks may not be set off in any public place, for example, in parks, on the pavement or the streets. No fireworks should be set off, detonated or exploded within 200 metres of any hospital, clinic, petrol station, old-age home or nursing home, or animal welfare organisation or institution. The period in which the lighting of fireworks is allowed is from 7 pm to 10 pm.”
That being said, there are also laws in place related to the selling of fireworks. The joint operation between the Kouga Fire Service, Law Enforcement and the SAPS addressed this by visiting shops known to have stock of illegal fireworks, and confiscating the stock as well as issuing fines to the guilty parties. The fireworks will now be destroyed by the SAPS.
The community was thankful for the operation as it meant fewer fireworks available for sale this season.
Firework season is far from over, this past weekend would have been the start of silly season. One can expect a few more events to take place where the public might be inclined to make use of fireworks over the coming weeks.
We advise you to check out our series of articles related to fireworks here. You will find content related to soothing stressed pets, emergency protocols as well as other stories related to them.
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