TWO young boys did their bit for nature by getting on their hands and knees and digging a trench with their bare hands at the Amanzimtoti River’s mouth to help the river to beach into the ocean on May 9.

Also read: Flood safety: What to do before, during and after a flood

A resident, Kobus Grobler, who observed them from his flat, went down to talk to them.

As it always happens naturally, the river mouth is sometimes closed by sand that is pushed by sea tides, causing the river’s levels to rise as it cannot flow into the sea. On May 9, the Amanzimtoti River’s levels had risen and flooded Civic Road under the N2 bridge.

Seeing this, the two boys, Jason and Anton van Niekerk, who are Kuswag Skool learners, got busy and tried to help the river by digging a trench to allow the river to breach into the ocean.

Kobus Grobler was impressed by the boys’ effort.

“They spent quite some time there digging, and when I asked them why they were spending their spare time doing this, they said they were trying to help the environment. Unfortunately, their effort was in vain as the incoming tide closed up their trench again, but lo and behold, they were back at it the next day, but the incoming tide again closed up their trench,” said Grobler.

He added that relevant authorities should have done something as Civic Road had been flooded for over a week.

In response, councillor André Beetge said that only when there is imminent danger to life or property would it necessitate an application to be made to the Department of Water and Sanitation to breach the river manually. Tides and rain forecasts are also taken into consideration when the decision is made.

“The rivers are part of the provincial government’s mandate, not the municipality. The aggrieved party has to make an application, and an assessment would be made, and the order would go out to breach the river. Sometimes we assist with that, but never without authorisation,” said Beetge.

He stressed that there should be as little interference with nature as possible because the river usually breaches by itself naturally.

“It’s currently working quite well as it is opening and closing by itself, but we will breach if necessary,” he said.

At the time of publishing, the river had breached, and it was flowing into the ocean.

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