
- The organisers of Plett Rage are planning to return the famous end-of-matric festival in December.
- A Covid-19 breakout traced to the KwaZulu-Natal event led to the canning of the Plettenberg Bay event.
- Organisers plan to keep numbers lower than usual by splitting into two long weekends, but there is no indication that gathering restrictions would be relaxed by then.
The famous Plett Rage post-matric celebration is set to return this December, Covid-19 willing.
The organisers have split it into two four-day events to keep numbers low in the light of last year's catastrophe which saw almost 1 000 people test positive for Covid-19 afterwards.
Tickets start at R3 250 for a Rage "passport", according to the festival website.
The first event will be from 3 to 6 December, with entertainment aimed at a predominantly English music lover who likes underground music of different genres.
The second will be between 8 to 11 December, featuring more commercial music and live bands which the organisers feel Afrikaans ragers would like.
In the frequently asked questions section, organisers forecast that lockdown restrictions would allow 500/1 000 people for outdoor gatherings by then.
READ | Covid-19: Nearly 1 000 Rage festival goers from Gauteng test positive
However, in a Facebook post announcing the return of Plett Rage, they also indicated that numbers would be restricted, and government restrictions would be adhered to.
There was no indication from government that gathering restrictions would be relaxed over the festive season.
Western Cape health authorities recently indicated there was a window period of four months (December) to get everyone over 18 to register and be vaccinated, ahead of a possible fourth wave.
"There is a very real risk of a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections. The biggest mitigation will be to get as many people as possible to be fully vaccinated prior to a fourth wave," said provincial health spokesperson Mark van der Heever.
Current lockdown regulations allow for a maximum gathering of 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
January's Plett Rage was cancelled after the Rage events in Durban, Ballito and Umhlanga in December 2020 were identified as the common denominator in a cluster of Covid-19 cases.
The Department of Health set about tracing over 1 322 people who had attended, to be tested for Covid-19.
Of 1 050 tested for Covid-19, 984 of them tested positive and out of their 340 contacts, 32 tested positive.
READ | Lockdown: Battered by beach and booze bans, Plett lost over R674m in tourism sector
They were mostly from Johannesburg and Tshwane.
At least 99 people would not co-operate, while 173 others either had supplied the wrong contact information or were unreachable.
Garden Route officials also would not let it go ahead, as the country was dealing with the second wave of the pandemic.
The Plett Rage website said ticket holders would be guaranteed full refunds until one month before the first weekend kicks off, excluding booking fees.
Venues would be announced, but would be focused around the Plettenberg Bay Main Beach close to Beacon Isle Hotel and Moby's.
Organisers "strongly advise" patrons to be vaccinated, but negative PCR tests will be accepted on entry if deemed fit by the government.