Ballito businesses hand municipality ultimatum: Enforce beach by-laws or face rates boycott

Ballito’s business community has gathered a groundswell of support for a possible rates boycott if calls for better policed beaches, particularly during the peak summer season, are not met, the North Coast Courier reports.

Amid the community’s growing discontent, at last Tuesday’s IDP road show in Salt Rock, KwaDukuza municipal Director of Community Safety and Security Moses Faya told the meeting the municipality was working on a plan for the festive season.

He said access to Ballito was more difficult to control than Zinkwazi and Blythedale beach – which had experienced similar problems.

Faya said the problem was too big for any single organisation to fix on its own and called on the community to do their share.

He said KDM was preparing new legislation to regulate the behavior of beach goers.

The plan is to be presented to the portfolio committee this week and then the executive committee.

Recurring incidents of unruly, drunken behaviour has provoked widespread criticism from the Dolphin Coast community, which has levelled the blame at KDM for failing to enforce by-laws curbing drinking at beaches and public areas.

Drunken, disorderly behaviour cast a shadow over last year’s festive season with civic groups blaming a lack of police visibility on the “drinking frenzy and absolute mayhem” that was witnessed on many of the coastal beaches.

More than 10 stabbing incidents occurred at Ballito, and according to residents, trash lined the beaches and streets, loud music rang until all hours and rowdy revellers showed no regard for the beaches, the environment or other visitors.

Resident and business owner Gerard De Billot said attempts to engage with KDM had fallen flat and warned that the current situation, bad enough as it is, would only get worse unless law enforcement stepped up to manage the crisis.

Stringent enforcement of eThekwini municipal bylaws at Durban beaches are believed to have resulted in Durban residents heading north to keep the party alive, but what is KDM doing about it, he asked.

On December 16 last year, there were 7 stabbings in one day while earlier in the month a restaurant kitchen worker survived a stabbing in the face at Thompson’s Bay.

The 7 men who accosted him had also targeted other beach goers, robbing them of their personal belongings.

“The North Coast has long been considered a ‘beach destination’ and the beaches remain one of the biggest tourist drawcards to the area.

Five years ago local business owners formed the Ballito Crisis Committee (BCC) but we have yet to reach any resolution with KDM. We have tried to meet with council officials on 15 separate occasions.

Our last attempt saw 28 stakeholders arrive for a meeting but the municipal manager failed to attend. If we lose our beaches, this town is destroyed,” said De Billot.

De Billot said businesses contributed about R50 million in rates per year and they have had no choice but to embark on a rates boycott unless KDM urgently addressed their grievances.

These include their unwillingness and/or inability to enforce its own by-laws in relation to public drinking and nuisance behaviour.

De Billot said more than 50 business owners and some “high profile” ratepayers had lent their support behind their proposal to take part in a rates boycott and confirmed that instructions had been given to their attorneys who will be holding the rates money in a trust account.

Guesthouse owner Brian Skosana said:

“We are dissatisfied in the manner that KDM by-laws are intentionally ignored and disobeyed. We noted with dismay and disillusionment in the manner that some beach goers conduct themselves. There has been a lack of respect and loss of dignity to other beach goers. As ratepayers and business owners, we feel the municipality can do much better.”

UK tourist Sally Pike has also called for increased law enforcement and more visible policing.

“My family, extended family and friends have spent our holidays in Ballito for the past 18 years. I reside in London, and I have always taken great pride in bringing foreign guests to Ballito to showcase what KwaZulu-Natal has to offer.

“For the first time ever, in nearly two decades, during this past 2019/20 holiday season our experience was tainted by rampant abuse of alcohol on the beaches, uncontrolled crowds of people blatantly disregarding the law.

This is certainly not a place where I would happily return to with my children and 13 grandchildren.

Our family’s monetary spend in the area is significant, and I am loathe to go elsewhere after so many years of happily contributing to the local economy.”

Speaking to the North Coast Courier earlier this year, Enterprise iLembe CEO Nathi Nkomzwayo said:

“Tourism is a major contributor to the economy of the region attracting just over a million tourists per annum. About 80 000 people visited the Dolphin Coast during the previous festive season.

“This region is chosen primarily as a beach destination by both domestic and international visitors.

It is imperative that we ensure that our tourist offerings speak to the wants and needs of the tourists,” said Nkomzwayo.