Margate gears up to care for its river

It might be small, but Kongweni Conservancy, which embraces sections of Margate’s Kongweni River and its banks, has huge potential, both as a tourism asset and as a valuable green lung for the town.

The chairperson, Paddy Norman, pointed this out at a lively information evening hosted by the conservancy at the Village Tavern recently. And judging by the enthusiasm generated at this meeting, it seems likely that Margate residents will ensure this potential is realised.

Norman explained that the conservancy was started by the late Mick Critchlow, his wife, Frieda, and six other members more than a decade ago. They identified a section of the river and its banks, stretching from Alexander Road to the freeway, as particularly environmentally sensitive and in need of the protection of a registered conservancy.

A vigorous alien invasive plant eradication operation was launched, and walking trails were established. Then, after Critchlow died, dedicated and knowledgeable environmentalist Gary Holburn took over as chairperson and served as the guardian of the river until his recent death.

As secretary, Barbie Meyer explained the conservancy’s small core of members were anxious to keep it operating, but they needed the assistance and support of other Margate residents.

They had called the meeting to kickstart it again and to encourage Margate nature lovers to come on board. She thanked members of the public, including representatives from the Margate Retirement Village, for attending the meeting and was pleased to enrol them as members.

Highlighting the value of the delightful conservancy trails, the beautiful river, its estuary at Margate Beach and the many wetlands and other sensitive areas scattered along its banks, Norman stressed their enormous eco-tourism value.

As a long-term project, he suggested that the conservancy expand its mandate to include the whole river valley, the Solomon Dundikazi Nature Reserve at the river’s headwaters and, in fact, the whole of Margate.

This, however, needed to be a future goal. First, there were immediate challenges that needed to be addressed, the most pressing being the repair of the trails that had been severely damaged in the recent floods.

Other challenges included lack of funds, active members and public awareness. To start addressing these issues, the conservancy would hold an open day and trail walk as soon as the trails had been repaired. The conservancy would also pay attention to strengthening its social and mainstream media profile.

Meyer thanked Melissa Bense for designing the conservancy’s eye-catching logo and expressed the importance of a social media presence as a way of keeping the conservancy in the public eye.

Kongweni treasurer Bill Davis chatted about conservancies in general, pointing out that while they were not legal entities their status was recognised by local and regional authorities and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

In KZN, the conservancy ‘parent’ body is Conservancies KZN, the largest, most active voluntary conservation entity in South Africa. It is the umbrella body for 89 registered conservancies in the province, of which 17 were situated in the Ugu region.

The meeting ended on a positive note, with members keen to see to the immediate needs of the conservancy and, eventually, to its exciting long-term prospects. They invite all interested Margate nature lovers to join to ensure that it lives up to its potential.

Membership fees are R100 per person and R250 per family. For more information send a WhatsApp to 082 4963545.

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