R1000 fine for tossing burning cigarette
R1000 fine for tossing burning cigarette
23 December 2008
published by www.thetimes.co.za
South Africa — Tossing a burning cigarette out of a moving vehicle can now cost you a R1000 fine, the City of Cape Town said.
This was in a bid to curb veld fires in the hot, dry and windy weather in the region, said Fire and Rescue Station Commander Denzel Ramedies in a statement.
The move was also a reminder of the Fire Safety Amendment by-law, which regulates fire safety in the metropole, in an effort to avoid blazes such as the recent week-long veld fires in Gordons Bay.
The by-law was promulgated last year to discourage people from throwing lit cigarette butts out of moving vehicles.
Ramedies said the high rainfall of the past winter had resulted in lush vegetation across the Cape, which increased the risk of runaway fires.
“High winds and dry vegetation render the peninsula even more prone to the risk of fires rapidly spreading and becoming uncontrollable during the dry summer season.”
The city called on motorists to use the ashtrays in their vehicles to dispose of matches and cigarette butts.
