Looking back on South Coast history, 1991 to 2000: March 7 to 13
Roads, rates, robberies and... a naked invasion made the news this week.
The new road wasn’t as safe as you might think.
May 7
1999
“Death lurks on the toll road between Hibberdene and Southbroom, particularly at night when pedestrians and stationary taxis become lethal weapons. With over 100 collisions reported to the police since the beginning of December, the unofficial toll is more than 40 people dead, nearly 100 people seriously injured and 150 vehicles involved in collisions.”
May 8
1992
“Local restaurateur Dave Page used a fire hydrant to repel eight unidentified streakers who threatened to invade his packed restaurant.” They were thought to be the same group that, when told that shorts were not permitted in the bar at the Crayfish Inn, took their shorts off and ran up and down the street. The report doesn’t say whether they ran naked all the way to the Bistro.
1998
The South Coast was hit by a spate of armed robberies and the Southport Community Policing Forum said its objections to the proposed Rainbow Nation Tavern were based on location, not race.
A shock increase in price meant… “Shark meshing will cost the five Lower South Coast local authorities an additional R2,2-million next year.”
May 9
1997
“Ratepayers have only themselves to blame if they receive poor service. Outstanding rates owed to the six Lower South Coast transitional councils amount to over R40 885-million.”
Port Shepstone police’s dog unit made some daring and dramatic arrests and recovered thousands of rands worth of stolen property, including a stolen aeroplane.
“Ten tons of macadamia nuts, worth R120 000, were recently exported from the Lower South Coast to Taiwan.”
May 10
1996
“Plans for the last stage of the long-awaited South Coast toll road are to be unveiled by the Department of Transport today.”
“The budgeted cost to date of running local government elections in rural southern KwaZulu-Natal is a whopping R22 095 528. Now taxpayers will fork out another R1 095 030 following their postponement.”
“Two pilots died in a horror crash while practising for the annual EAA show at Margate Airport last Friday afternoon.”
May 12
1995
“The fatal shooting of a Gamalakhe taxi owner, the second one to be killed in two months, sparked a two-day taxi blockade in the township this week.”
2000
“Two vehicles, loaded with dagga, travelling in convoy through Port Edward towards Durban were nabbed last week.”
And… “The hunt is on to find new names for the six new municipalities in the Ugu Region.”
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