The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa is supporting the SA Anglers’ Association’s fight to be exempted from the government’s blanket ban of 4×4 vehicles on beaches. The anglers included a letter of support from Naamsa in their court submission.
The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa is supporting the SA Anglers’ Association’s fight to be exempted from the government’s blanket ban of 4×4 vehicles on beaches. The anglers included a letter of support from Naamsa in their court submission.
The SA Anglers’ Association’s is still waiting for judgement in its case against the environmental department.
Naamsa director Nico Vermeulen told CARtoday.com that the association would be supporting groups applying for exemption as it feels government should consider the merits of legitimate parties like anglers, those living along the coastline, and boating enthusiasts.
In an earlier submission to government, Naamsa said it understood and supported the government’s endeavours to preserve the environment, but felt the total ban introduced on January 20 2002 was counter-productive. Naamsa made the submission on behalf of BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Delta, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Renault, Saab and Subaru, and stated that there needed to be “a reasonable balance between social, economic and environmental objectives”.
The association would like to see a differentiation between coastal areas of high and low environmental sensitivity and “make provision for limited and controlled access to the less environmentally sensitive areas”.
Experienced 4×4 authority, author and filmmaker Andrew St Pierre White agrees and said on his website www.4xforum.co.za that grading beaches would be a good alternative. “The banning of 4x4s from beaches is the equivalent of banning all hunting because of poaching or banning all crayfishing because some law-breakers take more than their quotas. Those who break the laws of the beach by driving above the high-water mark or on the dunes know the law is being broken. Banning vehicles from the ‘legal’ part of the beach is not going to exclude the law-breakers from driving on the ‘illegal’ parts. It just makes it easier for them to do so,” St Pierre White said.
Naamsa’s submission states that access to areas of low sensitivity could be allowed “subject to permit control and that the issuing of permits and subsequent control of driving on designated coastal zones be delegated to local authorities”. Naamsa also suggests that income from these areas could be used to finance enforcement in protected areas.
St Pierre White said the issue is not only about conservation. “This planet was made for people to enjoy. What good is a beautiful beach if nobody can get to it because it is impractical to walk there unless you are a hiker? This excludes it from everyone else. But what good is a bathing beach crowded with vehicles, some of them driven by drunk people? This excludes families and children. What use is the sensitive pristine wonderland of lagoons and reefs if, without protection, it is easily damaged by people and vehicles? It will soon die,” said St Pierre White.
He also suggests existing manpower be used to control the ban in protected areas. “Beach wardens are issued small throw-away cameras (less prone to theft) which they store in their vehicles. When they see a perpetrator, they simply take a photograph and then it works just like a traffic fine,” he said.
