Members of the Dolphin Coast’s local anti-fireworks campaign group met with KwaDukuza municipal beach manager Steve Honeysett yesterday to hand over the signs the community members took a hard-fought seven months to organise.
‘Keep the Dolphin Coast a Fireworks Free Zone’ was launched at the end of last year through a social media campaign to stop visitors to the Dolphin Coast from violating the municipal bylaws in place for the discharge of fireworks. The group now consists of seven residents of Ballito and Salt Rock, who would like the issue of fireworks to become more visible in the community.
“We wanted to print these signs and put them on all our beaches so that residents and visitors to our area become more aware of the law,” said campaign member Natanie Slabbert, who added that it is important to put the signs on the beaches because many believe the bylaws do not apply there, when in fact, they do.
KwaDukuza’s bylaws state that any person who breaches the allocated times in the year to discharge fireworks shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to the fines determined by a chief magistrate of the Magistrate’s Court or imprisonment, as determined by court.
As the laws currently stand, fireworks can only be released on the dates of November 5, January 1 and the seven days of the Deepavali festival.
Members of the campaign group handed 50 printed 30x30cm signs to Honeysett for installation at all KwaDukuza beaches from Salmon Bay in Ballito to Zinkwazi Beach.
The signs cost R1 800, which was entirely sponsored by local company Impressive Signs. A further 400 signs are in the process of being made, which will also be distributed before the end of the year.
Another campaign member, Luane Hurly, said that more people are needed for greater community awareness to be raised of the social and environmental threat posed by fireworks.
“We desperately need more members to help us in order to make the dangers of fireworks known.”
The group’s first goal has been achieved as the signs are put up by the municipality, but group member Debbie Spinner said she would ultimately like to see a total ban on fireworks put in place.
“We are ready to turn up the heat on visitors to the town who continue to break these laws and we are going to put more pressure on those who do in the coming months,” said Spinner, who added that she looks forward to seeing the fruits of the group’s labour going up throughout the region.
