4X4 BAN and the Mtubatuba IDP process.

The 4x4 ban,  or the closure of our beaches to reasonable motor vehicle access, has had a rather nasty impact on the tourism associated with recreational use of the South African beaches within rural areas along the South African Coast line

In the Elephant Coast region,  where the IWPA are in control  of the coastal zone, and manage the area in accordance with the world heritage act, these losses have been very pronounced and rather disturbing, causing huge economic issues, which have been festering and causing anger amongst the folks on the ground for the last 15 years.  way back in 2004 KZN TOURISM estimated these economic losses caused the tourism industry of Umkhanyakude District Municipality to shed in excess of 20 000 jobs.

  These 20 000 job losses were never addressed, as the IWPA claimed that they had these issues, under control,  and that the envisaged INTERNATIONAL TOURISM that would be generated through the marketing of the world heritage status of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Wold Heritage Site and the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative would off set these losses.   These tourism gains due to the world heritage status of the park, as well as other government initiatives, including but not limited to the LSDI, never materialized. 

It is thus time to take action and demand an answer from central government what they are doing to alleviate the serious economic losses caused by the 4x4 ban.  This will be accomplished by taking the issue up at the Mtubatuba Local Municipality IDP structures and requesting that the various role

players come and explain their role in ensuring the failure of the domestic tourism sector within the Umkhanyakude district municipality, focusing on the Mtubatuba Local municipality, and the St. Lucia tourism node, which is the region that suffered the biggest losses with the local arts and crafts industry collapsing and disappearing .

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority is the government appointed body  to look after the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park World Heritage Site along the Elephant Coast of KZN South Africa.  It is the duty of the IWPA or the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority to ensure that tourism associated with the use of our first world heritage site is equitable and reaches the majority of tourism stake holders within the area (Umkhanyakude District Municipality)  The IWPA have failed miserably due to the implementation f the 4x4 ban which did not go down well with the domestic tourism market shedding more than 20 000 jobs, as per the last paragraph on page two of this document by KZN Tourism.  

what to do and which way forward is now an issue that needs urgent attention from central government, with the question being  

1) Do we mine the lake, leaving the rehabilitation up to the IWPA,  or 

2) do we push tourism as an alternative, or 

3) do we chase the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority out of town, then mine the lake, and rehabilitate the area to be the biggest nature based tourism project ever ?

my self personally, I like option 3.......

See open letter to the Mtubatuba Local Municipality here for more

The IWPA needs to please explain their esturay managment strategies

Please sign our petition

The St. Lucia Estuary is currently ( SEPTEMBER 2017 ) a disaster zone, and the ecological biodiversity within the Lake St. Lucia and the St. Lucia Estuary system has collapsed. The Estuary Management  plan for the St. Lucia Estuary as is mandated in the Integrated Coastal Management Act is not in the public zone, and we need to know why. 

Please sign our petition so we can have a mandate from the public to take some actions at the local Municipality level to have the issues of bad management within the IWPA addressed.

 

The IWPA or iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority has not held proper public participation process meetings within the Mtubatuba Municipality, and the tourism associated with the St. Lucia lake and estuary systems  has not been included in the economic development forums of the Mtubatuba municipality Local Municipality IDP as id mandated in many different laws and legislations associated with the management of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park such as the 4x4 ban  and the Integrated Coastal Management Act.

to download this letter as a PDF file click here

Start quote of letter to iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority

Old School Birding Club <marketing.osbc@info4u.co.za>

water flow issues within the lake St. Lucia system. 1 message

Old School Birding Club <marketing.osbc@info4u.co.za>

Sun, Sep 17, 2017 at 4:26 PM To: info@isimangaliso.com

OPEN LETTER addressed to info@isimangaliso.com and published to 4x4ban.blogspot.com then shared on social media.

info@isimangaliso.com is the registered email address for the IWPA --- iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority see their web site at www.isimangaliso.com

attention administrative staff at the IWPA

Hi

Many thanx for your post on FB https://web.facebook.com/iSimangalisoWetlandPark/posts/ 896067270542666

I have a few questions but am not sure where or who to ask. Can you link me up with the correct folks ?

I received an email containing a news flash from newsflash@isimangaliso.com on 10 September 2017 (covering the same subject matter) and this seems to be rather confusing info. Either the scientists concerned are trying to fool us as the general public, or they are not qualified to do the job, as the info put forward is rather incorrect in many aspects.

lets start with the issue of the water flow between the ocean and the estuary....

does the estuary system include the lake or is it only the Umfolozi river flood plains ?

I was always under the impression that the estuary system included the water flow in and out of lake St. Lucia. If this is wrong then I apologise. If this is right, your scientists need a slap on the ear, and a rather tight solid one that makes their head spin... so that they can catch a wake up!!!!

From the article it is clear that they talk of the lake, but they deliberately neglect to discuss the water flow patterns which are needed to scour the estuary mouth clean, along with the water volume flow measurements, which keep the lake system from silting up.. they keep discussing the water flow of the Umfolozi river as if this is the only issue at stake. The Umfolozi river only really comes into play when there are drought conditions, and the mouth to the estuary system is closed to prevent the lake from becoming a salt pan, which nature takes care of itself. . Water evaporation is the issue here, as sea water would replace the evaporated water in the lake system, and cause ultra high salt level problems very soon, leaving the lake as a salt pan. This was close to happening, and we had a total fish die out when the lake actually dried up. This has not been declared an international disaster zone, in my mind due to tourism issues, with the IWPA fearing a collapse in tourism due to the bad publicity, and that is a major threat to the future of our tourism associated with lake St. Lucia. If the lake is not part of the tourism picture we will all be in trouble, coz the beaches are already out of the picture due to the 4x4 ban and the subsequent job losses where KZN tourism estimates more than 20 000 job losses in the formal tourism sector as in their occasional paper 20, found here http://www.zulu.org.za/userfiles/1/file/ ForIvestorandResearcher/Research/Occ%20Papers%20PDFs/Occ%20paper%2020% 20Legislation%20on%20the%20Use%20of%204X4's%20on%20Beaches%20.pdf see last paragraph on page 2

Who can I speak to so that I may find out more, and where may I find the IWPA input to the Integrated Estuary Management Plan as is mandated by the ICMA (Integrated Coastal Management Act 2008) chapter 4 sections 33 and 34

From the news flash article it is clear that the scientists in question who put this plan together have an agenda other than the natural rehabilitation of the lake and related estuary system. This needs to be explained at the PPPM (Public Participation Process Meetings) which are mandated in terms of the NEMA (National Environmental Management Act) and these issues also need to be included in both the Mtubatuba Local Municipality IDP, and the UMkhanyakude District Municipality IDP, so that these can then be included in the Provincial IDP and then pushed to the central Government IDP. This is essential as the estuary management is not exclusive to the St. Lucia estuary mouth, but also includes the lake systems, the fresh water catchment zones and the subsequent silt flow patterns that are in place due to a host of different reasons including but not limited to

bad agricultural practices in the estuary catchment zones bad land management in state owned lands in the estuary fresh water catchment zones over grazing in rural farm lands, which fall within the estuary fresh water catchm3ent zones bad land management in game parks (Hluhluwe / Umfolozi parks) and poor information flow patterns between the IWPA and the rest of the world, which are stilted and often not inclusive of the bad community impacts associated with the IWPA decisions.

Many of these estuary fresh water catchment zones are not even in the UMkhanyakude District Mu8nicipality, which compounds the need to have this addressed at provincial level through the provincial IDP

see these video discussing the missing silt traps along the Umfolozi River and related problems which your scientists are apparently sidestepping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGMpYyg5wt0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwpQE_tdp-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpDp-s4EZHY

this is a serious matter, and somebody needs to be held accountable.

your help in assisting me to find the required information, and who to speak to , so as to evaluate an amicable way forward will be appreciated.

I used the email address admin@info4u.co.za to request registration with the IWPA integrated management plan, which is the equivalent of the municipal IDP , but for some reason this has not been activated and I do not receive the necessary invites or updates to these management plans. It is my opinion that this email address admin@info4u.co.za has been blacklisted, or labelled as spam by the IWPA administrative system. This is a problem in my mind....

Your advice of what my next step should be, before legal action is taken to force the issue will be appreciated, as I would prefer to solve these problems without legal actions which will be very bad for tourism within the area as a whole. We all rely on tourism, so when this dries up there will be other problems... no tourists in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park is not a good thing for anybody. the 4x4 ban has already cost us dearly with KZN TOURISM in their occasional PAPER 20 (see link above)

estimating job losses in excess of 20 000 way back in 2004. Many things have changed since then, but domestic tourism has not recovered, and the IWPA are not doing anything visible to get domestic tourism numbers back up to where they were prior to the 4x4 ban. The recent destruction of perfectly functioning infrastructure which is mainly used by domestic tourists at the St. Lucia Estuary Mouth, and the extreme bad parking planning, along the St. Lucia beach front adds to this perception that the IWPA are anti domestic tourists within the park as a whole. see http://zululandobserver.co.za/ 153111/demolition-works-st-lucias-estuary-beach/ a clear way forward where information flow between the park and concerned citizens is addressed at the mandated public participation process meetings will be truly appreciated. If this is not activated soon, we will be forced to take alternative actions which include legal steps to force the issue. these will give out such a vastly negative vibe that tourism within the area will be drastically affected. We wish to minimise this impact, so please help us to connect with the right folks who can ensure that our concerns are addressed in an open and transparent manner where all will be happy..

looking forward to your response.

FRANKIE2SOCKS

End quote of letter to iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority



Please sign our petition

Please sign our petition so we can have a mandate from the public to take some actions at the local Municipality level to have the issues of bad management within the IWPA addressed.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority and Public Participation Process Meetings

iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority and Public Participation Process Meetings

 The  iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority  ( IWPA ) is in place to manage the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park World Heritage site,  South Africa's first world heritage site, which was renamed as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site after the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean acquired its own world heritage site, and there was confusion over which St. Lucia world heritage site was being discussed. The IWPA or iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority is mandated by the WHCA or World Heritage Convention act  to manage the park for us as world citizens.  We as local residents who live adjacent to and  within the park, are supposed to benefit from the tourism  associated with  the park.   Here Section 22 of the

act is very clear, and mandates the IWPA to integrate their management plan with all three tiers of

government through its IMP process. 

tier one = local municipality and district municipality level

tier two = provincial level 

tier three = central government level

to down load your copy of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority's Integrated Management Plan click the link below.

 #IMP = #INTEGRATEDMANAGEMENTPLAN 

Integrated Management Plan for the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

This is however not  the case, and the South African or DOMESTIC TOURISM MARKET is currently very under developed and not supported by the IWPA's attitude and plan, Where they want to push international tourism to the exclusion of domestic, regional and local tourism.  

In the past (pre #4X4BAN ) this was the major tourism sector, with

international tourism making up just under 8 % of the total tourism volume.  Today domestic tourism only makes up a small percentage of tourists visiting St. Lucia, with international tourism being the dominant sector, and a very large percentage of these tourists spending less than 4 hours in St. Lucia, only stopping over long enough to do the estuary boat cruise.  The only beneficiaries of this bulk based international sausage machine tourism  is the IWPA and the boat owners.  Many of the INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS  doing these boat trips do not even stop over for coffee in our area.

These issues are not discussed at the #IWPA (iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority) #IMPPPPM (Integrated Management Plan,  Public Participation Process Meetings)  and there is no clear future plan discussed with the communities of #DUKUDUKUSOUTH,  #KHULAVILLAGE and the domestic fishing tourist, showing how and where the local communities surrounding the park, are meant to become involved and do their part so that they may get their share of the income generated by the parks actions, in-actions, events management and community development levies.

This is in gross violation of the original ROD taken to implement 4x4 ban found here where section A clause 6 and section B clause 6 as well as section C clause 6,  discusses a particular reporting issue that needs to be discussed and integrated into the Mtubatuba local municipalities IDP STRUCTURES and other statuary mandated planing process such as  the Estuary Management Plans mandated by the Integrated Coastal Management Act

the WHCA or World Heritage convention act, in section 22  discusses these issues again, where the IWPA is mandated to integrate their development plans with all three tiers of government.   this must how ever be re3ad in conjunction with section 13 of this same act....

I am in the process of finding support to push this issue hard at the upcoming Mtubatuba local Municipality Integrated Development Plan, as is mandated in the MUNICIPAL SYSTEMS ACT and associated legislation. The economic losses associated with the VERY POOR MANAGEMENT by the IWPA need to be accounted for and amendments to plans need to be justified or explained. 

Occasional Paper 20 by KZN Tourism discuuses the economic impacts of the 4x4 ban, showing massive joblosses exceeding 20 000 folks as a knock on impact od the 4x4 ban 

more coming soon  #FRANKIE2SOCKS 

public rights in terms of the Integrated Coastal managment act

we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

When discussing the 4x4 ban and its negative implications for the Elephant Coast Tourism Industry I am often confronted with the question "what right do you have to challenge the 4x4 ban?"

We need to confirm these negative implications, and I feel the best way to do that is to reference an occasional paper issued by KZN Tourism in 2004  where KZN tourism alleges that more than 20 000, thats right "TWENTY THOUSAND" people lost their jobs as the result of the knock on impacts of the 4x4 ban.

we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

Next we need to do an insitu evaluation of the folks who lost their economic opportunities, and what they can do to mitigate their situation.  The vast majority of the 20 000 plus people who become indigent due to the knock on impacts of the 4x4 ban come from the local indigenous Zulu / Tsonga people who relied a great deal on the tourism trade associated with recreational use of the Elephant Coast beaches. Many within this sector were associated with the arts and crafts industry, in one of the following areas:
a) collection and gathering of relevant raw materials for the manufacture and distribution of local arts and crafts industry
b) the actual manufacture of the arts and crafts
c) sales and distribution of locally produced arts and crafts

we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

The next sector where there were big losses is those who provided tourism services and labor to the tourism sector.  Here we are talking of :
a) waiters, and other staff  at restaurants
b) maids and cleaning crews at lodges,B+B's , self catering establishments, camp sites,  hotels and guest houses
c) Gilly's, boat crews,  divers assistants, Tour guides,  drivers, gardeners and other official laborers
d) shop assistants, petrol attendants, front end staff, and managers of tourism businesses.

So you may ask how did the 4x4 ban cause these losses? and you would have a very valid question that is easily explained, though the explanation is complex, and has many strangely related issues. Tthe basics is that those who used to come along with the fisher folk for an outing  suddenly were asked to walk great distances to preferred fishing spots, and they rebelled against this idea, as they were along for the experience, and were not into the serious walking issue that they were suddenly confronted with.

we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

Simple solution, these tourists who were just along for he ride suddenly disappeared off of the Elephant Coast Tourism industry's radar, along with their vast spending power as tourists or weekenders . This did not just impact on one or two areas, but was wide spread over the entire South African coastline.  Some areas were affected more than others, but I can only speak for the Elephant Coast, as I lived in the town of Mtubatuba during this time period where the Elephant Coast Tourism Industry had a very serious collapse, with the resort of Mapelane allegedly loosing more than 95 % of their annual turnover.

These statistics can easily be confirmed by the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (IWPA) as  they are the legal successors of the GSLWPA (Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park Authority) who is the South African Government body appointed to manage the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Park World Heritage Site which includes the Elephant Coast of KZN south Africa within the Umkhanyakude district Municipality.

we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

Exactly how many would be recreational beach users stopped visiting the Elephant Coast is still a mystery, even after there were numerous government studies done, which were submitted to parliament, but never discussed at local municipality level, as well as the many PPP (Public Participation Process) meetings for the IWPA IMP (iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority Integrated Management Plan) and the IWPA submissions in terms of ROD a25/7/8/3/2/4 or the 4x4 ban in both sections A (6) as well as B (6) which would need to be conducted in terms of the National Environmental Management Act  (NEMA)  and associated legislation.

So we have established that in our opinion the 4x4 ban has caused a serious and very negative economic impact within the Elephant Coast of KZN South Africa. The exact size of these losses has never been discussed within the Mtubatuba local municipality during any of their annual reviews of the Mtubatuba Local Municipality Integrated Development Plan Public Representatives Forum meetings, nor at any of the WPA IMP PPP meetings.

we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

What to do now?

Firsts we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

next we need to attend the Mtubatuba IDP PRF meetings and present this petition along with some requests for inclusion of issues into the Mtubatuba Local Municipality IDP.

During the last few weeks starting in late October 2013 many people have been asking me to get involved in these issues once more, and I really would love to go fishing along the Elephant Coast of KZN in comfort and style, so I have opted to take up the issue as requested.

So from Jan 2014 you will start seeing  and hearing more about the ARBU and its related efforts to have the Elephant Coast tourism issues addressed at the correct political levels including the local municipality IDP and its subsequent elevation to the provincial legislature then the national legislature.

we need some moral support from the public  see http://bit.ly/4x4ban-petition

ARBU seeks a mandate - south coast live

The ARBU or Association of recreational Beach Users needs a public mandate and is thus advertising all over the place requesting the public to take a look at our mandate request

The South Coast of KZN  South Africa has a marketing platform at http://southcoastlive.co.za and the ARBU has opted to use this platform, amongst many others.

You can see our social request for your mandate  here

to read the latest request by the minister for comment on the 4x4 ban issue see this page

This new draft legislation is not that vastly different from the current legislation, and it still has no clauses for public access to the Elephant Coast beaches, and no mention is made of the vast job losses associated with this legislation as in this report by KZN Tourism

These issues are very complicated and the government is trying to side step many thorny issues which include

• lost economic opportunities  as a result of the 4x4 ban
• environmental impacts of the 4x4 ban on the IWP (iSimangaliso Wetland Park)
• the tourism impact of the 4x4 ban on the domestic tourism market of the Elephant Coast
• non compliance of the ICMA by the minister of Environmental affairs
• non compliance of the ICMA by the IWPA (iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority)
• Inability of the local municipalities within Umkhanyakude district municipality to comply with the ICMA as a result of the non co-operation of the IWPA (iSimangaliso wetland Park)

ICMA = Integrated Coastal Management Act   act no 24 vof 2008

We will be looking a bit deeper into these matters and be posting more indepth posts soon.  in the mean time we still need your mandate

If you do decide to sign our mandate with AVAAZ.ORG thrn please also ask others to do the same. the more signatures we get the better the influence your mandate will have when we need to use it at public meetings and in our court applications.

many thanx for reading, please comment and ask others to visit our pages to.

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

The ARBU needs a mandate to take up the 4x4 ban issue

The association of recreational beach  users ( #ARBU)  has been around for some time, but has never really got popular with the masses because we were seen as "ECO TERRORISTS" who wanted to invade the beaches of the Elephant Coast of KZN South Africa and destroy all the sand dunes by driving where no person should.

help us fix the problem : view our petition and then decide

It is just not true that our members are "ECO TERRORISTS" , and we as responsible naturalists and environmentalists  understand that our beaches need protection from hooligans and irresponsible people. Unfortunately there are some who just do not understand reason, or are not connected with the true spirit of conservation through sustainable utilization.

Most of the people who have supported the closure of all beaches to reasonable motor vehicle access are city dwellers who have no perception of the vast open spaces of the Elephant Coast of KZN South Africa, nor the huge tourism potential of this region. The closure of the Elephant Coast beaches has resulted in Huge job losses in the region of 20 000 (twenty thousand) way back in 2004, as outlined in a report by KZN Tourism found here 

These job losses associated with the decline in domestic tourism numbers along the Elephant Coast have put an awful lot more pressure on the environment, as the rural people affected by these job losses are now more reliant on the environment to supply their daily needs, and so use more local natural resources in inappropriate ways to feed their families and pay their daily bills. These impacts are very extreme in some areas where the rural people involved in the manufacture and sales of arts and crafts to the domestic tourism industry have congregated due to the tourism flow patterns which have been established over time.

For us as the management of the Association of Recreational beach users to take up the fight and rectify these issues we need the support of the general public.  To get the support of the public we have established this blog, a web site at http://arbu.info4u.co.za and some social media profiles. 

These issues are not just about physical driving on beaches with 4x4 vehicles, but about access to remote areas in a sustainable manner to benefit the largest portion of the South African public, and the sustainable tourism that is associated with the use of the Elephant Coast beaches tourism potential as a natural resource as well.

The 4x4 ban put a stop to this use of the Elephant Coast beaches as a natural tourism resource, and the consequences are very evident with the large drop in domestic tourism numbers and the associated job losses which the 4x4 ban has caused.

Please view our petition and consider signing it

visit our web site at http://arbu.info4u.co.za

see our social media links at social.me/arbu

 

Objection to Notice 150 of 2013

Copy of message received from Sandy Mcdonald (Department of Environmental Affairs) answering our attempt to to comment on / object to Draft legislation as per notice 150 of 2013 published in the Governement Gazzet

Notice the delays and that the reply to our objection / comment on this notice did not come from the person listed in the notice as the official who should be dealing with these matters.  Also notice the date of transmission (16 April 2013) when the comments closed on 30 March 2013

Your comments will be appreciated... both sides of the fence are welcome..


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sandy McDonald <amdonald@environment.gov.za>
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:20:00 +0200
Subject: Re: Fwd: Objection Notice 150 of 3013 legal issues...
To: Frank Gainsford <admin@info4u.co.za>

Dear Sir / Madam

Receipt of your comments on the abovementioned draft regulations is
hereby acknowledged.

Thanking you for your inputs.

Yours sincerely




A J Macdonald
Principal Environmental Officer
Directorate: Coastal Conservation Strategies
Branch: Oceans and Coasts
Department of Environmental Affairs
Telephone: 021 – 819 2493
Fax: 021 – 819 2445
E-mail: amdonald@environment.gov.za
Address: 2nd Floor, East Pier Building, East Pier Road, V & A
Waterfront, Cape Town, 8000;
P O Box 52126, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town, 8002
Web Site: www.environment.gov.za ( http://www.environment.gov.za/
)

This message and any attachments transmitted with it are intended
solely for the Addressee(s) and may be legally privileged and/or
confidential.

If you have received this message in error please destroy it and notify
the sender. Any unauthorized usage, disclosure, alteration or
dissemination is prohibited. The Department of Environmental Affairs
(DEA) accepts no responsibility for any loss whether it be direct,
indirect or consequential, arising from information made available and
actions resulting there from.

The views and opinions expressed in this e-mail message may not
necessarily be those of DEA or DEA-Management.



>>> Frank Gainsford <admin@info4u.co.za> 04/04/13 8:33 PM >>>
Attention : 1) amdonald@environment.gov.za 2)
fangwenyi@environment.gov.za
all others FYI (for your Information)

Hi

I never received a confirmation of receipt for this mail as below.

on follow up I discovered that others had also not received a notice
of receipt for their submissions.

Your email addresses as listed below came up as an alternative.

1) amdonald@environment.gov.za
2) fangwenyi@environment.gov.za

If you are not in a position to help, please advise soonest.

If you are the right person please advise course of action now.

Regards Frank

Frank Gainsford
072 505 5111
frankie2sox@vodamail.co.za

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Frank Gainsford <admin@info4u.co.za>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:04:52 +0200
Subject: Objection Notice 150 of 3013 -
To: Jpeter <Jpeter@environment.gov.za>, Frans van der Walt
<frans@qs2000plus.co.za>
Cc: Petrus Viviers <petrus@forafrica.co.za>, pretpeppie
<pretpeppie@vodamail.co.za>, coastwatch@ceasy.co.za

Attention Mr. Ryan Peters

All other recipients FYI (also please forward to whom ever you think
may have an interest in these matters, especially if you feel they may
support the |ARBU in our attempts to gain reasonable recreational
access to the Elephant Coast beaches)

Please reply soonest with acknowledgement of Receipt.

If you are not the person appointed to deal with objections to Notice
150 of 2013 in terms of the proposed legislation to close all beaches
to reasonable motor vehicle access please advise who is, as your email
address was listed as the official point of complaint - objection.

Your Notice No 150 of 2013 as published in the Government gazette No.
36183 dated 1 MARCH 2013 is a direct attempt at government to destroy
the local tourism associated with recreational beach use, and we as
the Association of Recreational Beach Users (ARBU) hereby object to
this legislation in the strongest terms possible.

The ARBU (Association of recreational Beach Users) will be doing all
within our power to gather the support of the people on the ground and
use all the tools at our disposal to enure that this legislation is
re-written and that it makes provision for recreational beach access
as the original document way back in 2001 had. You may visit our
social media promotional page at http://social.me/arbu where you will
links to our various social media profiles and web site
http://arbu.info4u.co.za

We will also enure that the gross economic losses associated with this
legislation are dealt with according to the ICMA (Integrated Coastal
Management Act) , the NEMA (National Environmental Management Act),
The WHCA (World Heritage convention Act) and the MSA (Municipal
Systems act) as well as other relevant legislation which is in place
to ensure that the environment is used to create sustainable
Eco-friendly jobs along our coast line.

We will also do all in our power to ensure that those who pursued this
legislation which violates our collective economic rights in terms of
section 24 of the South African constitution are prosecuted for their
part in this very corrupt legislation which in our view is in place to
ensure that the mining of the Elephant Coast sand dunes takes place.
Proof of this is that the legislation makes provision for mining
vehicles to access our beaches, but makes ZERO provision for
recreational beach use in any shape manner or form.

Attached bellow find some correspondence from our supporters. There
are many more people who feel the same way, and the ARBU (Association
of Recreational Beach Users) will be gathering their support, and
channeling their collective anger and frustrations to enure a larger
support base, which will be used to tackle this legislation at local
political level.

The people on the ground are also frustrated and upset that their
situation is not addressed, and that the issue (Read 4x4 ban) which
caused so many job losses, within the Elephant Coast local tourism
industry, is treated so lightly and flippantly by government. In 2004
KZN tourism issued an objection to similar legislation which was also
just shrugged off by government. Read that objection here
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


The ARBU (Association Of Recreational Users) will be guided by public
opinion and the current trend is that this legislation needs to be
re-written to include recreational vehicle access to our beaches, or
else we must go for broke and ensure that this legislation is
completely over-turned.

This is how ever not the first choice, as we realise that the
environment needs protection, and that a sustainable plan must be in
place to ensure that our remote coast line does not become like Cape
Town and Durban with hard surface development right into the ocean.

It thus follows that the legislation needs some serious work, and that
the government needs to take the people on the ground into account.
The economic impacts of this legislation for the Elephant Coast is
huge. in the -- BILLIONS OF RANDS

The minister has in the past claimed to have done economic studies,
and we advise you to verify that these studies were legitimate and
took into account the huge number of job losses as mentioned in KZN
Tourism Occasional paper 20 as well as the true economic value of the
coastal zones of the Elephant coast as a tourism draw card.

It would further be appreciated if your could arrange for the
minister, or a delegate of the minister, to come to Mtubatuba and
discuss these losses at the Mtubatuba local municipality Integrated
Development Plan Public Representatives Forum (IDP PRF) so that the
Mtubatuba local municipality could make suitable plans as part of
their IDP (Integrated Development Plan) to assist those made indigent
by the related legislation which this new draft desires to perpetuate.

Looking forward to working with you to have this legislation amended
so as to include provisions for recreational use areas with reasonable
motor vehicle access, so that the local economy of the Elephant Coast
may prosper as it once did.


Regards Frank


Frank Gainsford
072 505 5111
arbu@info4u.co.za
www.arbu.info4u.co.za

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "pretpeppie@vodamail.co.za" <pretpeppie@vodamail.co.za>
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:24:33 +0200
Subject: Fw: Re: Emailing: St. Lucia 4x4-on-beach
To: frank@info4u.co.za



From: Louis Fourie
Date: 3/15/2013 11:47:38 PM
To: pretpeppie@vodamail.co.za
Cc: Nelius.Smith
Subject: Re: Emailing: St. Lucia 4x4-on-beach

WHO CAN HELP LOCAL TOURISM AND THE LOCAL POPULATION IN AND AROUND THE
iSIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK?

St Lucia, Sodwana, Kosi bay South Africa are fishing villages. Most
residents live there because they could make a living from fishing or
the
more wealthy live there because they could drive on the beach to fish
or
relax. That is the main recreational activity for locals.

Without consultation vehicles were banned from the beach eleven years
ago.
The poor locals since suffer tremendously. Many of the more wealthy
locals
relocated. We were promised many hotels and thousands of job
oppertunities
but eleven years later nothing has happened and the mayority of locals
are
poorer than ever and are suffering more than ever before. They are not
allowed to hunt or catch prawns and are shot dead when caught. They
have to
rob tourists to survive. It is dangerous for any tourist to visit Kosi
bay
or Sodwana bay because you will be robbed. Crime is increasing in St
Lucia
quickly. The poor locals have no other income or jobs. They are forced
to
steal to survive.

The authority is backed and sponsored by the government and Unesco.
Under
the name of conservation we are all made to suffer.

Eleven years ago there used to be twenty charter boats and everyone
made a
living. Today there are three and they are hardly make a living. The
town
has'nt grown at all in size. Not one street has been added! There was
about
fifty small boats for hire by the public........TODAY THERE IS
NONE!!!!!!

Total filling station closed. Standard bank closed. Restaurants open
and
close regularly. I can go on and on.

Only a handfull of individuals enjoy the money the few overseas
tourists
bring in. Hundred thousands of poor locals are exploited, promised a
piece
of the cake but nothing. So called illegal houses of local
entreprenieurs
were bulldozed and wrecked in the park by officials with fat, fat
cheques in
their pockets. No wonder there is so much crime in the park.

And somewhere UNESCO said us locals should'nt be worse off after they
declared an area WORLD HERITAGE

We can see that the authority try to promote overseas Eco tourism but
at the
cost of us locals and local tourism. A few days ago on national TV it
was
said " The authority does'nt want the brandy brigade in their park and
the
overseas tourists' footprint is not so big" I've seen some senior
park
officials as drunk as can be in public.

We asked the minister of conservation as well as the public protector
for
help but to no avail. The organs of government are just too strong.



----- Original Message -----
From: pretpeppie@vodamail.co.za
To: Louis Fourie
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2013 7:39 PM
Subject: Fw: Emailing: St. Lucia 4x4-on-beach




St Lucia.
Picture 1. The old days with the Estuary open to the sea and 4 x 4"s
allow
to drive on the beach.
Photos 2 - 3 - 4 is with a person in the 4 x 4"s with a disable
permit. Feb
2013

Will it be possible to investigate matters regarding rules and laws
applied to the the banning of driving and parking vehicles on the beach
at
St Lucia.

------Original Message-------


Help !!!!



The country belongs to the people of South Africa and not to
individual
people making rules and laws to suit them selves !!
It is our right as South African citizens to drive and park our 4 x 4"s
on
the beach. We stay in a democratic country, vote for a Government and
pay
Taxes to keep the country going and on the world map.
We must be given a piece of beach for recreational purposes. Northern
KZN,
St. Lucia.
The rest of the world are driving on their beaches ( world heritage
we
asked for in KZN ) except us in South Africa with 3000 km of beaches.
What
is the reason for the 4 x 4 beach ban that was implemented by the
government
( Mr. Moosa )
This law remind the RSA citizens of the apartheid regime !!
We want the president Mr. Zuma to do away with this unacceptable 4 x 4
beach
ban law.


M. Pretorius
RSA Citizen

Cc.UNESCO










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information Technology queries!
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072 - 505 - 5111



--
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

This message and any attachments transmitted with it are intended
solely for the addressee(s) and may be legally privileged and/or
confidential.

If you have received this message in error please destroy it and
notify the sender. Any unauthorized usage, disclosure, alteration or
dissemination is prohibited. The Department of Environmental Affairs
accepts no responsibility for any loss whether it be direct, indirect
or consequential, arising from information made available and actions
resulting there from.

The views and opinions expressed in this e-mail message may not
necessarily be those of Management.

The purpose of the ARBU

The purpose of the ARBU  or Association of Recreational Beach users is to bring together like minded people, and gather public support to challenge the 4x4 ban and all subsequent legislation which has a negative impact on the coastal Environment within the Elephant Coast of KZN south Africa.

History has clearly shown us the very negative impact of the closure of the Elephant Coast beaches to the regional economy of the Umkhanyakude district Municipality, with KZN Tourism estimating 20 000 (twenty Thousand) plus job losses and large scale economic losses associated with this legislation  as in their occasional paper no 20 which was published and circulated within the KZN tourism web site.

The comment period for the new draft legislation closed on Sunday 31 March 2013 and our comment that we emailed to the advertised email address did not elicit a response of any kind, not even an acknowledgement of receipt.

The Association of recreational beach users has a social media profile that can be found here

The ARBU has a web presence and this blog is in place to boost that web presence and help the management of the ARBU to gain support from the people on the ground, and a mandate from our supporter base to take the 4x4 ban issue up at the political level.

To contribute to this blog or our collective efforts to have the 4x4 ban issue addressed in a manner that best suits the majority become a supporter and register here or to offer us your personal mandate to take up the issue on your behalf here 

Looking forward to keeping you informed and  working with you and your friends to solve the many thorny issues of recreational beach access to the Elephant Coast beaches.

Please share and advise others of our need for public support to address the 4x4 ban issue.