‘Eye-opener’ beach clean-ups are a must for Amanzimtoti residents

The Clean Surf Project sends out a massive thank you to everyone who rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in for a clean-up of Umbogintwini Beach on Saturday morning, 12 May.

Members of the fire department, Winklespruit Surf Lifesaving Club, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), Toti Conservancy and Sapphire Coast Tourism (SCT) filled more than 50 bags of rubbish.

“Sadly, there is still so much more work to do,” said SCT chairman, Romy Wenzel. “We all can moan and complain as much as we want to – things are not going to change without the community getting together and being actively involved in making small changes here and there in the South Durban region.

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Who would have thought that collecting rubbish can be a fun-filled activity with great company, like-minded people and of course, a beautiful coastline right in front of you?

Big applause goes to Giselle’s Kitchen for generously sponsoring two snack platters and fruits – Giselle and her team are superstars.”

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WESSA Kingsburgh representative and Amanzimtoti Cycling Club chairman, Barry Walker was appalled by the amount of litter on the beach. “It is not from people leaving it behind, it is coming down the rivers from inland.

This rubbish is due to no or lack of service delivery in neighbouring townships. People there do not have eThekwini collecting their black bags once a week, so they throw it into the river and bush. It is then washed down to the sea and becomes our problem. We need to address service delivery, as this will reduce the problem. People need to go down and see what our beaches look like at Isipingo and Cuttings Beach – you will be shocked.”