A crowd of more than 2000 gathered in St Lucia on Saturday to protest the government’s policy banning 4x4s on beaches. The protesters consisted of motorists and vendors affected by the ban.
A crowd of more than 2000 gathered in St Lucia on Saturday to protest the government’s policy banning 4x4s on beaches. The protesters consisted of motorists and vendors affected by the ban.
According to the , the group was calling for tourism and environmental minister Valli Moosa to overturn the ban.
The vendors said they have been hit hard by the ban. "All our people are suffering. Many jobs have been lost and curio and fruit sellers are closing down stalls," said TT Maphanga, a leader of the Dukuduku south community.
“We have lost jobs and customers. The beaches are now being protected, but what about the people? There’s never been a proper environmental study of the effects of 4x4s on beaches,” said Musa Mkhwanazi of the Mpukunyoni community.
A memorandum was handed to provincial minister of agriculture and environmental affairs Narend Singh.
It stated: "The people, in coming here today, now boldly make the statement that enough is enough and insist the minister addresses their concerns within five days and insist that the minister must indicate what steps are to be taken by the government to alleviate their immediate plight."
Singh said a draft policy had been developed to begin selecting beaches for vehicle access and the public would be able to comment on it before it was implemented.
"It is my belief that this ban on off-road vehicle traffic in the coastal zone, and measures being implemented by KZN Wildlife and the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park Authority, will help ensure that the 590km of KwaZulu-Natal’s coastline are managed and protected from degradation."
