Matrics urged to party responsibly

GEORGE NEWS - Today, 1 December, the majority of matriculants put down their pens after the final exams - thousands of them are now on their way to celebrate the hard work they put in this past year.

While major professionally organised events are planned for Plettenberg Bay and KwaZulu-Natal, Matriekbaai also kicks off in Mossel Bay today.

The organiser of this event, Lian Fourie, says that matriculants can look forward to "an insane line-up", additional sponsors who have stepped in to make things a bit more interesting, a completely different layout of the festival grounds at Dias, and of course, the brand-new Santos Day Paradise.

Artists include big names such as Spoegwolf, Jack Parow, TiMO ODV, Fokofpolisiekar, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Early B, and more.

Fourie says there are around 3 000 fixed entries for the week tickets, and then there are many people who also join for a day or two, ranging from an additional 1 000 to 2 000 over the 10 days.

In a press statement earlier this week, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Education MEC David Maynier urged the #ClassOf2023 to celebrate responsibly during these events.

"It is understandable that our matrics would like to let their hair down and celebrate the end of a difficult few years at school, but we urge them to do so responsibly and in moderation, especially in terms of alcohol consumption."

He urged matriculants attending events to prioritise safety by familiarising themselves with event safety measures and local emergency numbers.

They should safeguard valuables, monitor beverages, report suspicious activity promptly, refrain from drinking and driving, and establish a buddy system for personal safety, while maintaining regular communication with parents.

"We encourage parents to ensure that matrics understand the risks involved in large events and smaller parties, and to ensure that they have made arrangements to stay in contact with their children and know what to do in an emergency.

We do not want to have our candidates’ end-of-year holidays spoiled by becoming targets of crime or being involved in a serious accident."

Maynier also added that there are several exams with smaller candidate numbers that must also be completed before the exams end on Tuesday, 5 December.

Whitey Bester, Eugene Opperman, Uys Keyser, Dwayne Black (front) and Karla van Staden are ready for Matriekbaai. Foto: Linzetta Calitz