By Mapaballo Borotho
- The Gauteng Committee on Community Safety is calling for reckless Spring Day water-splashing activities to be outlawed following a series of disturbing incidents across the province.
- The call comes after a 21-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death in Tshwane after he and others reportedly splashed water on an elderly man without his consent.
- The committee says what is often regarded as harmless fun has become a public safety concern, while the Department of Water and Sanitation has also warned against the unnecessary wastage of water.
The Gauteng Committee on Community Safety is calling for reckless Spring Day water-splashing activities to be criminalised following a series of disturbing incidents across the province.
The call follows the fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old man in Refilwe, Cullinan, in the City of Tshwane, during Spring Day celebrations on Tuesday.
A 53-year-old man has since been arrested for murder after allegedly retaliating against a group of young people who were attempting to splash him with water without his consent.
The suspect allegedly stabbed the 21-year-old during the altercation, killing him.
Portfolio Committee on Community Safety chairperson Bandile Masuku says the practice should be outlawed through appropriate municipal by-laws and stronger enforcement measures.
“The Committee is deeply concerned by incidents reported across Gauteng in which members of the public, including elderly and vulnerable individuals, were subjected to water-splashing without their consent, resulting in humiliation, intimidation, damage to personal property, public disorder and, most tragically, the loss of life,” said Masuku.
Masuku says no celebration should justify conduct that violates the dignity, safety, freedom and property rights of others.
He says the recent incidents demonstrate that what is often dismissed as harmless fun has evolved into behaviour that poses a serious risk to public safety and social cohesion.
“The Committee will engage relevant authorities on legislative, policy and enforcement interventions required to prevent a recurrence of these incidents and to ensure that future Spring Day celebrations are conducted in a manner that is safe, respectful and consistent with the law,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has also raised concerns about the practice, saying Spring Day celebrations should not result in the unnecessary wastage of water or come at the expense of another person’s dignity, safety or rights.
“In a country where communities continue to experience water challenges, deliberately wasting water for entertainment is concerning and highlights the need for a change in how water is valued and used,” the department said in a statement.
DWS says this concern is particularly pressing as South Africa anticipates the effects of El Niño, which can bring higher temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and drier conditions in some parts of the country.
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