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My first thought related to Matric Rage is hangovers.

Days of them, one after the other, becoming increasingly painful as the week wears on.

Then I remember that most participants are 17 or 18, and hangovers can be knocked on the head with a swim and a few toots.

Those were the days.

Then there’s the other, far more threatening danger – the spread of COVID-19, and the hosting of ‘super-spreader’ events.

Claremont club/bar Tin Roof hit the headlines back in October for such a jol, although owner James Truter was quick to hit back, saying his venue was “being used as a scapegoat for all the events that have been going on over that same period”.

In the above instance, you’re dealing with numbers in the hundreds, but Matric Rage is an altogether different beast.

Here’s TimesLIVE:

In spite of Covid-19 and pleas from medical experts, pupils from private schools will descend on Umhlanga and Ballito in KZN to begin celebrations to mark the end of the schooling on Friday.

A Durban pupil, who bought his ticket three months ago, said he wasn’t worried about the Covid-19 risk.

“I decided to attend Rage because it’s something that matriculants do every year and I want to party and have fun after my schooling career. I am not concerned about the crowds. I obviously know that it will be a spreader event, but I am just not worried. There is a no valid reason why I am not worried, but I am just not worried.

“I don’t think it will be safe. I think there will be upfront precautions, but once you get in, it will be like any other party. Safety is just a front to allow the parties to carry on,” he said.

At least he was honest.

He knows COVID-19 is likely to run rampant at the party, which starts today and extends through to December 5, but he’s going in anyway.

Aside from Umhlanga and Ballito, there are also Matric Rage parties in Jeffreys Bay and Plett. Given that the Garden Route is considered a hotspot (as is the Cape Town metro), the threat is obvious.

Due to this, and due to the fact that half of the matrics attend government schools and will be finishing their exams on December 15, the Plett party has been pushed back to January 29 through to February 6, with the Jeffreys Bay event slated for December 15 to December 22.

There’s also a two-day event planned in Jozi on December 12 and 13.

Greg Walsh, CEO of G&G Productions that puts on the Matric Rage Festivals, said “no stone has been left unturned” to ensure a safe festival.

“Obviously all of our event sites are 100% compliant with the current legislations permitting events under the National State of Disaster Management Act. Outdoor gatherings are each limited to less than 500 and indoor gatherings limited to less than 250 or 50% of the venue capacity size, whichever is the greater. All other protocols concerning social distancing, spacing of tables, removal of dance floors, sanitisation measures and much more have been fully complied with.”

He went on to say that organisers work in collaboration with the police department, Liquor Board, fire department, waste management, medical department, department of health and others.

All of which is great, but we’re talking about plastered teenagers here. Safety protocol isn’t going to be first and foremost in their minds.

Walsh said this year, organisers are expecting between 50% and 70% of the normal turnout.

Shabir Madhi, a professor of vaccinology at Wits University, certainly didn’t mince his words when talking about the dangers posed.

Again from TimesLIVE:

[Madhi] has called for the banning of this season’s matric rage parties, saying he would consider it “criminal and utterly irresponsible” if the government allowed them to continue…

[He] said in the context of Covid-19 the organisers should be held accountable for the resurgence of infections he predicted within three to four weeks of the events.

In response, Rage Festival Group spokesperson Marina Oreb stressed the lower attendance figures expected this year, adding that the wearing of masks will be mandatory at all venues and on the shuttles.

Venues with “high airflow” have also been specifically chosen.

[sources:timeslive&timeslive]