Outcry over Mpenjati party

MPENJATI Nature Reserve makes headlines again, not because of the proposed nudist beach on the north side this time, but for a rowdy ‘Lifestyle Picnic’ on the south bank.

‘Deeply offensive’ was how conservationist Paddy Norman described the loud music on Friday afternoon last week.

And Dr Rishigen Viranna, the Democratic Alliance (DA) constituency head of the Ugu South region, has confirmed he would submit parliamentary questions regarding the approval of the event and the conditions placed on the organisers.

Mr Norman, the chairman of the Southern Natal branch of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa), and his fellow Wessa members were visiting the north bank when they were assailed by the loud music.

They were shocked by the noise, which they felt was disturbing the wildlife in a conserved area. They were also upset about the disruption to the peace and quiet that nature lovers expect when they visit any nature reserve.

“Most conserved areas have strict regulations about no loud music or disturbances,” Mr Norman said.

However, Musa Mntambo, the communications officer for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, who confirmed that a section of the site had been booked for certain days and paid for these holidays, has pointed out the economic realities of running a reserve like Mpenjati.

“It is not for the first time that we allowed booking of the section of a reserve to a group of individuals and it surely is not the last time. Even those who raised concerns with you are welcome to make such bookings in future and pay extra costs. The dates that have been booked are posted at the entrance. We will only control driving to the southern side as the space is limited, but the public will still be allowed to access the beach on foot at any time,” he said.

While Mr Mntambo did not say exactly what the event was that disturbed visitors last week, a poster for the Zuri Beach Club Lifestyle Picnic on December 16 claimed there would be performances by four deejays, road tripping, jet skis and beach games.

Patrons who attended the function said licensed bar facilities had been available and that the party was still going on at 1am when they had left.

Dr Viranna said DA spokesman on environmental affairs Ann Mcdonnell had contacted Ezemvelo chief executive Dr David Mabundla and was able to confirm that a small section of the reserve had been leased to a private company.

“This is in line with the KwaZulu-Natal Conservation Management Act. This Act along with Ezemvelo’s commercialisation policy allows Ezemvelo to lease out part of its land to private companies. If a strategy was not followed, Ezemvelo would be bankrupt and KZN nature and game reserves would be encompassed by National Government. Coastline management has already been taken over by National Government and we all see the increased poaching activity,” she said.

According to preliminary investigations, all relevant documents regarding the events had been submitted to Port Edward Police Station. However, a major concern was that surrounding communities had not been consulted, Dr Viranna said.

He added there were concerns regarding the party aspects of the Mpenjati events, particularly regarding noise, attendance numbers, sale of liquor, construction of structures, sanitation and cleaning services.

In response to concerns about loud music, Mr Mntambo said Ezemvelo staff would patrol the area and would control this aspect of the parties. The public could also report loud music to the police.

“To date we are not aware of loud noise,” he said.

He hoped the South Coast would not be in the news for the wrong reasons this festive season and that we would all learn to accommodate each other as we enjoyed the God-given treasure called Mpenjati which was open for all. He said Ezemvelo also has to find ways to raise money to pay for the upkeep of the reserve.

Commenting on recent rumours doing the rounds about the reserve’s future, he said Ezemvelo had no plans to privatise it.

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