ARBU requests minister to attend Mtubatuba IDP

The issues around the 4x4 ban and lost economic opportunities within the Elephant Coast region and the Mtubatuba local municipality have never been discussed at the Mtubatuba local municipality Integrated Development Plan Public Representatives Forum and the Management of the Association of Recreational Beach Users feel that this issue needs to be addressed so that everybody can be on the same page, and those who have been playing by unknown rules can be held accountable by the current rules and regulations just like everybody else.

To achieve this we have sent a request to the Ministers office requesting that the minister attend the Mtubatuba Local Municipality Integrated Development Plan Public Representatives Forum and inform the Mtubatuba residents of  the steps that the minister is taking to ensure that the ICMA (Integrated Coastal Management Act) is indeed being applied within the coastal zones of the Mtubatuba Municipality.

The IWPA or iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority has been appointed by the minister to act as the custodian of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park world heritage site, as per legislation connected with the world heritage convention act,  and as such is the responsible authority to ensure that the zoning and zoning maps for the areas under their control are kept up to date and made available to the public through the Mtubatuba Municipality's LUMS (Land Use Management System) for the areas that fall within the Mtubatuba local municipality, and at other local municipalities within the Umkhanyakude district municipality where the IWP WHS (iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site) falls within their jurisdiction.

The IWPA have neglected to do this, or I should rather rephrase that to read OBJECTED to perform these duties as they have been mandated to by various acts and associated legislation. The ARBU (Association of Recreational Beach Users) has been trying for many years to get the IWPA (iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority) to conform with these laws and regulations through the channels as laid out in the rules for the local municipality's Integrated Development Plan strategies, but failed miserably due to the attitude and dirty tricks tactics of the IWPA management.

It has thus become time to take drastic action and request that the minister intervene. below is a copy of our correspondence to Mrs. Elsebe Peens who works in the ministers office, and her acknowledgement of receipt for our request.

our message sent...

Frank Gainsford <admin@info4u.co.za>

Tue, Jun 11, 2013 at 6:57 PM

To: peens@dwa.gov.za

Cc: pretpeppie <pretpeppie@vodamail.co.za>, Petrus Viviers <petrusviv@gmail.com>, Frans van der Walt <frans@qs2000plus.co.za>

My reff = IDP PRF / mtuba  / June 2013 email sent to  peens@dwa.gov.za as requested by members. / also published to blog http://4x4ban.blogspot.com/ Attention  / action : Minister of Environmental Affairs : Me. Edna Molewa all others FYI - (please forward to those concerned in your contacts lists) Fishing issues, the 4x4 ban and lake St. Lucia as breeding ground for many fish species. The ARBU or Association of recreational users has been requested to take action and help the residents of St. Lucia in the Mtubatuba local municipality, of the Umkhanyakude district municipality in KZN  in their efforts to bring the mismanagement of the lake St. Lucia to the attention of the minister, and request that the minister address their concerns through personal attendance of the Mtubatuba Local Municipality's IDP PRF  (Integrated Development Plan Public Representatives Forum) process, where an explanation of a few different items would be required to be discussed. These items are all directly connected to the tourism potential of the Elephant Coast as a whole, and the Mtubatuba Municipality in particular. Part 1 the 4x4 ban ( http://www.zulu.org.za/userfiles/1/file/ForIvestorandResearcher/Research/Occ%20Papers%20PDFs/Occ%20paper%2020%20Legislation%20on%20the%20Use%20of%204X4%27s%20on%20Beaches%20.pdf ) 1) the serious economic losses associated with the drop in domestic tourism numbers caused by the 4x4 ban has never been addressed at the Mtubatuba Local municipality Integrated Development plan, where all zoning matters are supposed to be addressed as is mandated in the 1) Municipal systems act 2) the NEMA (national environmental management act) 3) the ICMA (Integrated Coastal Management Act) 4) other related legislation This implies that the zoning of the coastal recreational use areas as practiced and implemented by the IWPA (iSimanagliso wetland park Authority)  are in practice illegal. The minister is mandated  by the ICMA (Integrated Coastal Management Act) to bring the changes made by the minister (or his appointed agents) in terms of the NEMA  (National Environmental Management Act) and associated 4x4 ban  legislation  to the attention of the local municipality and have these changes introduced to the local Municipalities LUMS (land use management system ) and the appropriate zones to be reflected in the local municipalities maps once these changes have been accepted and processed as per the appropriate legislation. It must be noted that when a zoning issue is brought before the court, the only zoning that is valid is the current zoning as reflected in the specified local Municipality's zoning maps at the time of the contravention or alleged contravention.  If these zones have not been  not accepted by the identified local municipality's IDP PRF as per the mandated procedures in the relevant acts they are not valid and may be contested in court, and the ministers point of view will thus be moot and thrown out of evidence. The IWPA ( iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority) has never participated in these procedures to have their zones included in any municipal maps at the Mtubatuba local municipality  IDP PRF  level, and the minister has not sent a Representative to the Mtubatuba local Municipality  IDP PRF to have these issues addressed. This introduction of the ministers changes to the Mtubatuba local municipality's zoning maps has thus not been done, and we request that this be addressed in the current IDP review process. This request does not come lightly, and we are currently evaluating the possibility of taking legal action against the minister, and her appointees,  for failure to perform oversight in regards to these issues. Part 2 fish stocks It has come to the attention of the Association of Recreational Reach Users that our membership base has been accused of over fishing the Elephant Coast during many different discussions with a wide variety of the public and their different associations, around the 4x4 ban issue. This is an insult and very far from the truth. The fact that the breeding grounds of many fish species is mismanaged by the IWPA (iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority) is never brought up and we as the ARBU (Association of Recreational Beach Users) feel that it is time that the minister came to the Mtubatuba Local Municipality IDP PRF (Integrated Development plan Public Representatives Forum) and discuss these issues in detail so that the Mtubatuba Municipality may make the appropriate requests for government assistance, as well as assistance from the United Nations and other international sources to address these ultra important issues in the correct forums, as the IWPA has blatantly refused to do so after many direct requests at the Mtubatuba Local municipality Integrated development plan public representatives forum by my self personally as CEO of Info4u and a founding member of the Association of Recreational Beach Users, as well as numerous others who have tourism issues along the Elephant Coast of KZN South Africa as a concern. The records of the Mtubatuba Local Municipality Integrated Development Plan Public Representatives forum will reflect the many times that I have personally requested the IWPA  to take up the issues of the 4x4 ban and related economic impacts of low tourism numbers as well as the poor ecological management of lake St. Lucia and this impact on tourism numbers to the Elephant Coast. Issues that need to be addressed with urgency are listed here. There are many other issues that need to be addressed, but they are in our opinion not as urgent  as these matters listed below 1) the levels of DDT in Lake St. Lucia with associated toxicology reports as a direct result of the Anti malaria campaign introduced by the past minister Mr. Vali Musa 2)  Water flow issues as a result of the restrictions imposed by man made structures, and the IWPA dredging spoil dumps as well as  other related actions including filling of the back channels with building rubble by the IWPA along  and within the St. Lucia Estuary delta , with a focus on the bridge as one enters the town of St. Lucia 3) the silting up of Lake St. Lucia following the 1963 floods and the subsequent actions taken by all authorities since then to address the problems of declining fish stocks as a result of the massive damage to the ecosystem 4) the current custodians of lake St. Lucia (the iSimangaliso Wetland Park) and their refusal to follow instructions as mandated in the many laws and associated legislation which mandate them to hold Public Participation meetings and give feed back to the public through the appropriate channels such as the local municipality Integrated Development Plan Public Representatives Forums. The Ministers  input and attendance of the Mtubatuba Local Municipality's IDP PRF would be highly appreciated, and have a very large impact on the ability of the Mtubatuba Local Municipality to solve some of the problems or at least mitigate against the issues relating to the 4x4 ban and the mismanagement of lake St. Lucia by the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority with the related impacts of these actions on the domestic and foreign tourism trade flow patterns, and the job losses associated with this poor management practices of the IWPA. Regards Frank Frank Gainsford   http://social.me/info4u2use phone - office hours 039 315 1555 Founding Member of the association of recreational Beach users. www.arbu.info4u.co.za -- Contact Info4u <http://www.info4u.co.za> for your internet based information Technology queries! We  help small businesses get their information in the cloud. cloud-computing made simple<https://sites.google.com/a/info4u.co.za/cloud-computing/> admin@info4u.co.za 072 - 505 - 5111

Her reply 

RE: Request minister of Environmental affairs to attend the Mtubatuba IDP - - RE: 4 X 4 ban and St. Lucia as breeding ground for many fish species - from The Association of Recreational Beach Users

Peens Elsabé <PeensE@dwa.gov.za>	Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 3:50 PM
To: Frank Gainsford <admin@info4u.co.za>
Cc: pretpeppie <pretpeppie@vodamail.co.za>, Lebogang Mphuthi <Lmphuthi@environment.gov.za>, Seoloane Lincoln <SeoloaneL@dwa.gov.za>
Dear Mr Gainsford On behalf of the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Mrs B E E Molewa, MP, I hereby acknowledge receipt of your electronic letter with reference IDP PRF / MTUBA June 2013 dated 11 June 2013, in the above regard. The content has been noted and will be brought to the attention of the Minister. Sincere regards Elsabe Office of the Minister Ministry of Water and Environmental Affairs Sedibeng Building, PRETORIA Tel : +27 12 336 8888 Fax : +27 12 336 7817 Cell:  083 266 9351 email: peense@dwa.gov.za