‘Sidelined’ Sodwana community speaks
Residents question weekday beach closure during the off-peak season.
MEMBERS of the Sodwana Bay community have expressed concern over their treatment by the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, saying they feel sidelined as their park-related questions continually go unanswered.
A grave concern of business owners, as neighbours to the wetland park, is the apparently unjustified banning of residents from the beach and from boat launching.
While bans are temporary, some lasting a few weeks and others a few months, all are reportedly issued without prior warnings.
A former concession holder, after paying in advance to enter the park and launch his boat, was, in front of his international guests, escorted off the beach by the Sodwana-based iSimangaliso representative.
He was slapped with an eviction notice and banned for three months for ‘fraudulent’ entry into the park, among other reasons, allegedly without any proof of his apparent wrongdoing.
The many complaints all highlight the beach banning issue which has negatively affected many Sodwana businesses financially.
It has also caused business owners much uncertainty in not knowing if they too will be evicted from the park while hosting clients and left financially high and dry after reimbursing clients for their aborted trip.
A resident speaking on behalf of the Sodwana community has sent 15 emails to the park authority’s senior management since 2012, voicing such concerns and requesting meetings.
All have reportedly gone unanswered.
‘All we want is a meeting with iSimangaliso to voice our concerns,’ said the resident.
‘If they keep us informed of what’s going on in Sodwana Bay, we can all move forward and work together’.
According to the resident, Sodwana’s Community Tourism Organisation (CTO) committee members hold meetings with iSimangaliso, but no information from the meetings is divulged to the public, or to fully paid-up CTO members.
Residents have also questioned weekday beach closure during the off-peak season, a new practice which has only added to their feelings of being unwelcome in the area. ‘We can’t enjoy the beach during peak season because we are too busy working, but now we can’t even make use of it during the quiet times of year,’ said one of the concerned parties.
iSimangaliso senior management declined to comment.
