Community member questions why he can’t fish at dam
Confusion about fishing rules infuriated this Benonian
Benoni resident Keith MacDonald emailed the City Times on April 4 regarding confusion about fishing by-laws at the C R Swart Dam.
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He wrote: “I went fishing this past Easter weekend in Benoni, and my location of preference was Rynfield Dam which is part of C R Swart Park in Rynfield.”
He said he was next to the East Rand Speedboat Club and Ebotse Estate.
“At about 9.30am on March 31, I was approached by two police officers. They mentioned that Ebotse Estate security had complained about my presence in the area.
He said when he asked which by-law he was contravening, they could not answer him.
He said they then searched his belongings.
MacDonald claims the police officers said: “When Ebotse takes over the park and they move the boom gates, they will control who can enter the park.”
“I’m at the parkruns every Saturday morning. I feel the park should be available to be used by everybody,” MacDonald said.
Ebotse Estate’s CEO Stefan Vorster said the dam belongs to the estate and they have 10 designated fishing spots inside the estate where boats can’t operate.
He also explained that nobody is allowed to fish at the public side of the dam as there are no toilet facilities close to the park.
Vorster explained that the estate has had problems with people living next to the dam, who pose a security threat.
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s spokesperson Themba Gadebe has said fishing is not allowed at C R Swart Dam.
He said the rule applies to members of the public and Ebotse residents.
He confirmed that the dam belongs to Ebotse Estate, but said the water in the dam cannot belong to anyone except the South African government.
Lyn Adams, the secretary-manager of the East Rand Speedboat Club, said the club must adhere to the rules of Ebotse and the EMM.
Vorster said the speedboat club leases the building.
Adams said she is a South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) appointed official.
“It is all about safety. If someone is fishing, it means they have a hook in the water and that hook is a safety risk for swimmers,” she said.
She also explained that they have rinkhals in the reeds and when they have an event, they have teams assigned to be on the lookout for snakes.
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