14 December 2000
'It is vital for the economy that illegal construction be halted'
There has been a clampdown by a joint task team of national and provincial government on illegal activity that is damaging the pristine environment of the Wild Coast.
Legal action has been taken against 25 people (20 for illegal buildings and five for driving on the beach or cutting down protected trees) and scores more have been warned in a concerted and co-operative drive by various parties to put a stop to the on-going construction of illegal cottages and holiday shacks on the Wild Coast. In the past week also 11 people were arrested for illegal buildings.
Running parallel to this clampdown, projects are being implemented which will contribute to the sustainable economic development of the area and the creation of work opportunities for members of local communities. All these initiatives, which form part of the revitalised Wild Coast SDI, have the full support of Cabinet and the Executive Council of the Eastern Cape.
In a joint initiative between the Eastern Cape's Department of Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism and the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) an interdepartmental Task Group was set up to address the illegal construction of cottages along this coastline.
At the inaugural meeting of the Task Group in June this year, MEC Enoch Godongwana, who chaired the meeting, made it clear that the erecting of illegal buildings along the coast was unacceptable to government and that the Executive Council has thrown in their full support behind this initiative and was currently putting in place a framework for orderly development along this coastline and will gazette the Tourism Development Guidelines shortly.
Various initiatives to aid this, such as the R84-million European Union Programme that supports the Wild Coast SDI implementation, are coming on stream at the moment and will make a positive socio-economic impact on coastal communities livelihoods. He went on to say: "Most of the illegal buildings along this coast are not in line with the development framework and will have to be removed as a matter of urgency and the areas rehabilitated".
Visitors have been coming to this pristine and beautiful area for a long time to enjoy this mostly unspoilt part of the coast.
Dr Crispian Olver, Director General of DEAT said: "This initiative is fully in line with the Constitution and is a good example of co-operative governance in action. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is now playing a leading role in the implementation of the rejuvenated Wild Coast SDI and the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa. Minister Mohammed Moosa has requested me to keep him fully informed of the Illegal Cottages Task Group's progress, as he is keen that this issue is resolved speedily, as the illegal developments is effecting tourism development plans for this area negatively."
He said that his department is not against development per se and will in fact target the Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape to ensure socio-economic upliftment of this area. "For example, our department's CoastCare project, which is similar to the Working for Water Programme, will not only result in cleaner beaches and a safer tourism environment, but will give much needed jobs and training for some 100 unemployed locals by March next year, with the potential to expand thereafter".
He also mentioned that his department is in the process of appointing a new Project Manager for the Wild Coast Spatial Development Initiative in order to accelerate development in the region. What government was opposed to was illegal and unauthorised building in area, which was harmful to both the environment and investment on the Wild Coast.
It is vital for the environmental and economic future of this area that the illegal construction of cottages be halted. It is hoped that this co-operative drive with all its role-players gains momentum to make it an unprecedented success ensuring positive growth and progress whilst respecting the environment and all it has to offer.
Fore more information about the activities of the task group please contact Dr Neil Malan: 021 402 3021 or 082 574 9807; dmalan@sfri.wcape.gov.za
Issued by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
The Media Liaison Director
Onkgopotse J.J Tabane
082 465 6166
To afford protection to this special coastline Decree No. 9 (Environmental Conservation) of 1992 was enacted that established a "coastal conservation area" 1000m inland from the high water mark.
This Decree spelled out a long list of activities that could not be undertaken without a permit. This includes, the clearing of land, erecting any building, developing any picnic area, caravan park or like amenity, construct any public or private road, lay any pipeline, build any septic tank. While this State Land cannot be bought, some visitors wanting to occupy a little piece of paradise, tried to illegally acquire permission by bribing local headmen to build a cottage on land he would allocate. As a result, cottages have sprung up without any measure of control and this has begun to impact negatively on the environment. It should be pointed out that it is not within the powers of any headman to allocate land in this way and any person that obtained "permission" in this way will be prosecuted. People that are unclear about the legal position of their structure is advised to make contact with the State Attorney's Office in Umtata immediately.
In a wide-ranging initiative by various national and provincial government departments [including Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Water Affairs and Forestry, Land Affairs, the State Attorney and Attorney-General's offices, South African Police Services, South African National Defence Force, the Department of Economic Affairs, Environment & Tourism of the Eastern Cape and the Heath Special Investigation Unit], illegal structures have been identified and the builders and owners are being brought to book. The entire Wild Coast coastline has already been scrutinised from the air and recorded on videotape, while ground surveys of the cottages and their positions with regard to the set limits have also been done. In the process of these activities a number of people have also been jailed and charged for other illegal environmental offences, including illegally removing timber and/or farming in State Forests, driving on the beach and not adhering to regulations controlling sustainable exploitation of marine resources.
The current status is as follows:
In addition to these moves to halt the building of illegal cottages, plans are afoot to identify specific areas to be used for developments that will be in line with the Tourism Development Guidelines. This development framework will include various levels of development ranging from higher density development in areas that are already heavily populated to very low-density developments. Building in some of the nodes identified and selected for development will be minimal so as to preserve the environment and the tranquil atmosphere so sought after by people wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. Some nodes will be specifically development for tourism and these will also create work opportunities for members of the local community.
Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism