Suggestions to address problems experienced

The following section discusses suggestions to address the problems experienced from the CTC being hosted in the Green Point area. Table 4.32 below indicates that 30.8% of event attendees had suggestions to address the problems but 69.2% could offer no suggestions, despite having acknowledged that there were problems caused by the carnival event.

Of the resident respondents, 43.8% had suggestions to address the problems whilst 56.2% did not have any suggestions. Furthermore, 36.5% of the businesses had suggestions to address the problems experienced due to the hosting of the event but 63.5% had no suggestions.

Table 4.32: Do respondents have any suggestions to address problems

Respondents Yes No

Event attendees(in %, n=480) 30.8 69.2

Residents (in %, n=318) 43.8 56.2

Businesses(in %, n=107) 36.5 63.5

In trying to address the identified problems, the respondents were asked to offer suggestions and their responses are presented in the form of a word cloud (see Figure 4.19 below). The residents offered a number of suggestions and these included the need of having more parking areas to accommodate the vehicles of the large numbers of fans. Some residents were concerned about the drunken behaviour of some people, which included swearing, and suggested that alcohol be restricted during the period of the event. In addition, residents

suggested increased visible policing during the event, educate people on waste management (no littering and more bins), reducing noise levels, not allowing children at the event for fear of them getting lost or hurt by drunken people fans, and informing and monitoring the event attendees on the “dos and don’ts” of the area. However, despite these problems, respondents were still keen to support the event.

Figure 4.19: Residents’ suggestions to address problems

The event attendees were asked to give suggestions on how to address the problems caused by the hosting of the carnival. Figure 4.20 below clearly indicates that most of the event attendees were worried about their safety, hence they suggested that there should be more security and police visibility during the event. It appeared that most of the event attendees were not aware of the event and were only informed by their friends a day before the event, hence it was suggested that the event organisers should advertise the event more vigorously than before. It was suggested that the event should be well publicised on different media platforms to attract spectators. Most of the event attendees were concerned about inadequate parking, therefore it was suggested that future CTC events should ensure that there is sufficient parking available for both public and private vehicles. In addition to the above, some of the event attendees suggested that the event should involve local residents in activities such as event planning and staging. This would encourage local residents to support future carnival events hosted in the Green Point area. It was also noted that the event should create job opportunities for local residents. Road closures were a concern to the event attendees and it was suggested that organisers of future events should investigate alternative routes to avoid traffic congestion.

However, despite the problems and concerns, the majority of the respondents were in support of the event.

Figure 4.20: Event attendees’ suggestions to address problems

Figure 4.21 below visually depicts some of the suggestions made by the businesses to address the problems encountered because of the carnival. Most of the accommodation establishments situated along the carnival route complained about noise levels that affected the hotel guests.

It was suggested that security and police should try to reduce noise levels even though noise could be the reason why many people attend the event. Road closures (see Figures 4.17 and 4.18) were also a concern for most of the businesses as this created inconvenience to their clients visiting their shops along the Green Point carnival route. It was suggested that the event organisers should ensure there are alternative routes for business clients and guests of accommodation establishments on the carnival route.

Figure 4.21: Businesses’ suggestions to address problems

It was further suggested that security and police visibility should be increased, especially in and around Cape Quarter Mall where many businesses are situated, as well as along the entire carnival route. High police and security visibility would prevent crime, littering and poor behaviour. The businesses suggested that there should be more waste bins along the carnival route to reduce the littering problem.

Most of the businesses experienced parking shortages because parking areas had been filled by event attendees. It was suggested that the event organisers should ensure more parking spaces for the event attendees to prevent them using designated parking that is specifically meant for the businesses operating in the area, or a better public transport system for the duration of the event should be considered. In addition to the above, it seemed that most of the businesses were not aware of the forthcoming event and hence were not prepared. It was suggested that event organisers should strenuously publicise the CTC on different media platforms to increase awareness among all the stakeholders.

In summary, all the stakeholders had similar suggestions on how to address the problems caused by the event. The main problems identified included inadequate security and police visibility and insufficient parking. Suggestions common to all stakeholders included increased publicity to raise event awareness, reduction of noise levels, and increased resident involvement.

4.8 Chapter summary

In this chapter the researcher presented the findings, analysis and discussion of the responses that were received from the questionnaires. The results were graphically displayed in graphs, tables and word cloud. Emanating from these results, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made, as contained in the final chapter, Chapter Five.

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

This chapter draws from the findings reported in Chapter Four to draw conclusions and make recommendations for future research into the impacts of carnival events. The limitations of the study are also discussed. The conclusions are drawn relevant to the predefined objectives of the study.