THIS year, the International Coastal Clean-up will be the launching pad for Bluffites to claim back their beaches.
The Bluff Boardriders in conjunction with the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa, Mondi, Durban Solid Waste, KZN Wildlife and the South Durban Basin (SDB) Area Based Management team, will take part in the annual clean-up this Saturday, 17 September from 9am to noon.
We want this to be a place for all. We can’t sit back and wait for something to happen, we must do it ourselves
As the SDB has become synonymous with toxicity, the Boardriders will use the platform of the clean-up to reinvigorate residents and restore the beaches to an attractive and functioning state.
“We want to get stuck in and do something ourselves. It may not be our responsibility, but we can’t sit idly by and wait for our beaches to be repaired,” said Bluff Boardrider, Duncan Pratt.
The responsibility Duncan is referring to is for the repair and maintenance of the beaches, which has been lacking in recent months. Sand has overtaken grassed verges and the flooding in July left pipes exposed and debris strewn across the coastline.
The beaches, which the Boardriders refer to as one of the main assets of the Bluff, have become an eyesore, detracting from the aesthetic quality expected from a major tourist attraction.
Following the clean-up, the Bluff Boardriders hope to get the municipality’s permission to allow them to repair the damage to the beaches and regrow the absent grassland. With that in mind, they will also call for backing from locals willing to get involved in reclaiming the beaches, not only to attract tourists, but for their own use.
“We want this to be a place for all. We can’t sit back and wait for something to happen, we must do it ourselves.”
Registration for the International Coastal Clean-up takes place at Brighton Beach on Saturday morning.
