The various festive seasons that are celebrated in South Africa due to the vast cultural differences shared by its people are usually times of happiness and great fun for those of us celebrating. These periods are normally times of feasting, gift giving, remembrance and socializing.
However, the practice of setting off firework displays has, for a relatively long time, been banned outright in most residential areas throughout South Africa due to the harmful and sometimes erratic manner in which they are used. Not only do they pose a danger to us and our children, but to our beloved pets, most of whom have significantly heightened sense of hearing and fear when trapped in confined spaces during these fireworks displays.
The municipalities of Roodepoort and Krugersdorp on the West Rand of Johannesburg, as with most other municipalities around the country, have stringent laws that govern the use of fireworks, both as public displays and as recreational entertainment.
Firstly, one of the most important aspects of the laws states that it is illegal to set off any number of fireworks inside of a residential area. This means that it is strictly prohibited, no matter what the reason for use is. However, over the past few years there seems to have been a downturn in effective monitoring of this from the police and security services.
Another one of the laws that usually finds itself used more often during these periods is one that states that ‘no person is to disturb the public peace by mans of shouting, quarrelling or any excessive noise’ between 10pm and 7am. This means that any party should either be stopped or at least have its noise levels controlled considerably after 10pm on any given night, or the violator could be charged with a fine of up to R2000 or three months in jail.
The bottom line is that it is illegal to set off any form of fireworks in a residential area. If you are caught committing the offense you could face jail time.
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