UPDATE: No reprieve for Blythedale

The annual festival, hosted by KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM) has gained a reputation for causing complete chaos in the quiet coastal suburb.

For six years residents have been subjected to all night partying, sex scenes outside their homes and litter-ridden and congested streets as more than 10 000 party-goers flocks into the area. Last year a man was stabbed on the beach and died because ambulance services could not get past the unruly crowd.

Regardless of this, a resolution was taken last week by the KwaDukuza executive council (Exco) to again hold the festival at Blythedale Beach. This despite mayor Ricardo Mthembu’s promise at the beginning of the year to move the event to Nonoti Beach.

It took the municipality almost a year to form a task team made up of relevant municipal business units to conduct an on-site inspection of Nonoti Beach.

Also read: Residents panic over Blythedale Beach festival

In a feedback report to Exco last week, they found that the beach was “in a bad state” and that it would take a lot of time and money, that KDM does not have, to fix and build infrastructure. Some of the challenges that were listed at Nonoti included gravel roads, lack of parking, no toilets and no electricity.

The area was also described as a highly sensitive environment close to an estuary, coastal forest and dunes. With that in mind, the task team presented Salt Rock Beach as a second option.

DA councillor Malcolm Hubner said the decision came down to the municipality dragging their feet and taking last-minute decisions which saw them grasping at straws.

“Holding the festival in Salt Rock was ridiculous. The officials went on the basis that the annual Ballito PRO competition went without challenges in terms of public disturbance. The beach also has facilities such as a parking area, toilets and lighting.

“However, as the Salt Rock councillor, I know that the place is not at all suitable in terms of parking and the disturbance element because residents were outraged during the Pro music concert which was not half as bad as the beach festival.

“Transport to Salt Rock and also to Nonoti is difficult and Blythedale Beach seemed the easiest as taxis go there directly.”

The beach festival that is budgeted to cost R1.6 million, will take place on December 26 and 27.

KDM media liaison officer Sipho Mkhize said the municipality will start work on identifying a new site for the next festival from January next year.

“We can assure residents that we will be clamping down on crime and that officials will be on high alert. It is important to note that the problems do not start during the day during the actual festival but at night. The main issue that will be addressed is congestion. We will make sure that all visitors will not park at the beach area but at an open parking.”

The council resolution and traffic plans have not yet been communicated to the Blythedale Ratepayers and Residents Association.

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