Proposed marine bill not popular with local community
Officials from the provincial legislature presented the bill for discussion.
There was not a great deal of public support for the proposed Marine Spatial Planning Bill, it emerged at last Fridays meeting at the Margate Community Hall.
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Officials from the provincial legislature presented the bill for discussion, but attendees felt it would put them at a disadvantage.
Advocate Khwezi Masondo from the legislature said the sea would be preserved and the environment would not be destroyed. She added that, should the bill become law, it would grow the economy in the coastal areas.
Delivering the keynote address, Omar Parak from the Department of Economic Development and Tourism Affairs said passing the bill would ensure a sustainable environment. “This is the first of the KZN public hearings and it provides stakeholders a chance to have an input,” he said.
However, not everyone was happy. Thembinkosi Dlamini said: “It is the people who live on the coastline who should benefit from the bill. This seems to be promoting a business approach as usual, instead of looking after locals.”
Sbusiso Luthuli felt that if the bill was passed it would affect tourism. “There are people who come from inland provinces to enjoy the sea and, if there were limitations when it came to what you cab do in the sea, they would stop coming.”
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