Free at last, matrics get ready to party

THOUSANDS of teens began flocking to coastal resorts this weekend for the annual matric rage parties — leaving behind parents with empty pockets.

Letting your hair down at the week-long Rage Festival in Ballito could set you back between R6 000 and R9 000, said Gareth Devore, founder of the event.

A separate event, Plett Rage, is held in Plettenberg Bay.

Durban High School matric pupil Iveshan Naidoo said he and his friends were planning on making a “memory of a lifetime” in Ballito.

They are booked into a hotel and will stay for four nights from Monday. His father, Roger, who has spent about R6 000 on clothing, accommodation and the ticket, said he and his wife had schooled Iveshan on the risks of alcohol and drugs.

A Durban North matriculant, who did not want to be named, said she had bought a “platinum passport” for Ballito for R2 750.

“My mom has given me an allowance of R3 300 for the week for food and travel. So for me it will cost around R6 000,” she said.

Devore said the platinum and the more expensive black passes had sold out. A R3 650 black pass allows free entrance to clubs and other “VVIP” privileges.

Dale McAuliffe, of Randpark High School in Johannesburg, will be joining 13 friends on an MSC Cruises matric special sailing from Durban to Maputo with a stopover at Inhaca Island.

His mother, Louise, said they had budgeted just over R10 000 for the cruise, flights to Durban and spending money.

Conor McCallum, who just matriculated from Treverton College in KwaZulu-Natal, said he would be going to Ballito and had budgeted around R6 000, which included accommodation.

But his friend Mahdi Boukrout, 18, is planning to spend much less.

“We’ve already planned everything to do down there,” Boukrout said.

“I’ve asked a bunch of people how much money we should take and I get different answers . . . I’m not planning to drink a lot, so I’ll probably take around R2 000 and that will mostly go for food.”

Boukrout said his parents helped but he had paid for his plane tickets and a festival passport.

Organisers of Plett Rage, which runs for nine days, said the average visitor would spend between R5 000 and R7 000, including food and accommodation.