30/09/2026
A NOTE FROM CI HERMANUS
I am putting this out there before a photo, comment or version of today’s events appears online without the full context.
Today I witnessed an individual throw a cigarette out of their vehicle window into a patch of grass.
I later happened to pull up next to the same vehicle at Builders and approached the individual inside the store. I pointed out that, judging by the registration of the vehicle, they are local to Hermanus and should be well aware of the fire risk we face during the warmer months. On a 30 degree day, seeing a cigarette thrown into dry grass is not something I was prepared to ignore.
The individual denied doing it. I explained that I had personally witnessed it happen. The conversation then became heated and I was sworn at directly. I responded in the same manner in which I was spoken to.
Another individual later confronted me about the language I had used and appeared to take a photograph of me. If that image finds its way onto social media alongside a version of events that leaves out what happened beforehand, this is the context.
I stand by my decision to confront someone for throwing a cigarette out of a vehicle window.
This was never about wanting an argument. It was about accountability.
We live in an area where we know exactly how quickly fires can spread and exactly how devastating the consequences can be. Throwing a cigarette into grass and then denying it when someone witnessed it is not something I was prepared to simply walk away from.
Had the response been, “You are right. I am sorry. It will not happen again,” the conversation would have ended there.
Instead, responsibility was denied and the situation escalated.
We are not perfect and we will never claim to be. But we do believe strongly in owning your actions, especially when those actions could have serious consequences for other people, their homes, their animals and our environment.
Take accountability.
Take responsibility.
That applies to all of us.
