Lack of funding puts the brakes on beach cleaner

The Unimog and Rake were sponsored by Coca Cola Beverages SA, however, further funding is required to operate such machines.

September 7, 2021

Bianca Lalbahadur 2 minutes read

Due to lack of funding the beach rake has been parked in a storage facility and private funding is used to operate the unimog. After spending a year to obtain the machinery, a state of the art, custom-made Unimog and beach rake, imported from the United States of America, arrived in Amanzimtoti last year. The Clean Surf Project (CSP) team planned to obtain the much-needed beach cleansing equipment, following floods in 2019 that caused severe havoc with litter being scattered all along the coastline.

“The sad reality is that the plastic industry showed great support in light of the 2019 Floods. Inkwazi Isu was launched, an environmental project which was to focus on various pillars to address pollution. Sadly, this seems to have all come to a standstill,” said CSP’s Romy Wenzel.

The Unimog and Rake were sponsored by Coca Cola Beverages SA, however, further funding is required to operate such machines.

“As is, we have used private funding to keep the unimog operational for the time being. The rake has now been stored indoors.”

The purpose of the machinery is to assist eThekweni Municipality with the beach cleaning along the Umbogintwini River to Amanzimtoti Lagoon, an area that was recently been named the Inkwazi Isu Project. The custom-made Unimog, a second-hand vehicle, was built by Danie Roux from C&D Unimog Specialists in Sabie. It is used to pull the beach rake that is to filter the sand. The machine removes as much plastic, in particular small, broken down pieces, cigarette butts, glass and virtually any unwanted debris as possible.

The equipment is operated by CSP and is supported by eThekweni Municipality beach management. It will also take high precautions to protect the beach ecosystem and will only remove intrusive and hazardous litter.

For more information with regards to upcoming clean-ups, competition and educational awareness campaigns, contact the organisation on 082-802-3353 or cleansurfproject@gmail.com.