Roz Cedara of Morningside writes:
The beachfront at Ballito from Clarke Bay to Salmon Bay was a warzone over Christmas.
The onslaught by day visitors on our beaches was tragic. An event like this has to be electively managed.
I’m all for families enjoying a well-earned holiday, but at what cost? The bylaws were ignored, so there was alcohol and fires lit on the beach.
The area between Hops pub and the Spar and surrounding area was a nightmare.
There was no police control! Even the lifeguards were scarce.
We hear some say that the visitors bring money into Ballito. Really?
The money the day trippers bring is hardly enough to pay for the clean-up and the damage they cause. Every night I watched the old fisherman at Clarke Bay happily picking up rubbish, even though his home had been invaded.
No, the money is brought by the visitors who pay premium rates for the accommodation and who visit the local restaurants.
Maybe the time has come to cordon off some beaches for day trippers and only allow ticketed entrance as you would at any event.
A limited number every day would affect good crowd control.
The proceeds could be used to upgrade facilities so everyone could enjoy Ballito.
A few reasonably priced food stalls and more ablutions could be added. Use your imagination.
Ballito will never be the quiet little holiday town it once was.
The masses have seen to that, so council needs to step up and curtail the damage before it gets worse and you don’t get premium visitors any more.
Visitors paying big bucks for accommodation along the boardwalk should be able to enjoy the beach and walks on the boardwalk, not be accosted by drunken naked louts with no idea how to behave.
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