Cape Vidal is revived

Cape Vidal, one of the most popular day trip destinations in the region, has been renovated ahead of the busy festive season.

This as locals and passionate regular visitors spearheaded the refurbishment after endless visitor complaints at the steadily deteriorating state of the facilities in recent years.

A generous R350 000 was raised by the public, including fishermen, annual holidaymakers and local businesses, to provide urgent maintenance at the popular beach, angling and dive destination.

In early November, a group of 10 volunteers fixed ablution blocks, redid the fish-cleaning slab, and restored power to the cellphone tower and water plant.

The ‘Restore Vidal’ committee includes Andre Aiton, Barry Lancaster, Grant Harrison, Charl Stassen and Claud Boardman.

“I’m passionate about Vidal,” said Aiton, the committee representative.

Aiton is a Johannesburg businessman and deep-sea fisherman who has visited Vidal for the last 25 years.

“We had a team of volunteers go down to conduct various urgent repairs to keep December going because that’s a peak period.

“This can only enhance their experience. There’s a wide range of people who will visit this very special place.

“One tour driver even stopped and said, ‘Wow, you guys are making such a fantastic improvement here!’,” he said.

Cape Vidal attracts hundreds of holidaymakers, with all 40 campsites often booked during peak periods.

Future of Vidal

Cape Vidal falls under iSimangaliso Wetland Park, which is currently undergoing major changes as part of its commercialisation strategy.

This plan will see Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife withdraw from managing ecotourism facilities within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site at the end of February 2026, effectively separating ecotourism from conservation, which Ezemvelo will still manage.

As confirmed by iSimangaliso spokesperson Bheki Manzini earlier in the year, the running of the various resorts within the wetland park will be put out to tender.

“We are concerned about the place; some of us have been going to Cape Vidal for 40, 50 years. The main reason for us volunteering is to try our utmost to keep Vidal alive so generations can enjoy it the same way we have,” said Aiton.

iSimangaliso responds

During a press briefing on Wednesday, iSimangaliso CEO Sibusiso Bukhosini spoke about the commercialisation strategy for Cape
Vidal.

“We are commercialised, which means the State retains ownership of these facilities, but they continue generating revenue.

“Why are we doing this? To give the best experience for visitors. How do you get that good service? It must be state-of-the-art facilities in terms of accommodation,” he said.

He compared the service to that of St Lucia’s private operators, who offer better accommodation where guests are greeted, assisted, and enjoy air-conditioned rooms.

“When we commercialise, we retain ownership, but we get a private operator to run the facilities – that is what we are looking forward to,” said Bukhosini.

He also said the commercialised facility will be operated for up to 30 years, creating a sustainable business and employment opportunities.

“We don’t know at this stage who the buyer is. The person running the facilities will also be responsible for the upkeep,” he said.

Bukhosini added that a Rhino Cardtype system for the wetland park will not be considered.

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