ILLEGAL COTTAGES RULING SHOWS WILD COAST IS NOT FOR GRABS.

12 September 2007

Sustaining the Wild Coast (SWC) welcomes the recent Supreme Court of Appeal judgment that upholds the order of demolition of illegal cottages built along the Wild Coast.

SWC is of the opinion that the judgment helps provide legal clarity to what was a ‘grey area’ in the legislation governing that region. That is that the Environmental Conservation Decree No 9 of 1992, legislated under the rule of then Transkei leader General Bantu Holomisa as a conservation measure for the Wild Coast, still has legal status and is binding.

“This is the Wild Coast, not the Wild West!” says John Clarke, a spokesman for SWC. “While the cottage owners may feel somewhat aggrieved, the Wild Coast is very special place, and land cannot simply be taken over by anyone at whim. 

The cottage owners may have contributed some measure of employment to local people as domestic workers and perhaps caretakers, but this cannot come at the expense of disregard for the law. The Wild Coast has great potential. Any uncontrolled activities that might destroy this, and that disregard legal measures put in place to safeguard public, environmental and community interests, cannot be allowed.’

SWC is of the opinion that the ruling gives renewed urgency for authorities in the region to find legally acceptable and properly regulated solutions to give impetus to local economic growth and provide opportunities for local community development, without destroying the ecological base. The Wild Coast offers a unique sense of place. Carefully considered and controlled eco -tourism would enable the greater public to enjoy the benefits of the area without jeopardizing the environment or communal rights.

“In the light of the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling, how can authorities consider the Xolobeni Dune mining venture an appropriate activity? The mining appears to fly in the face of numerous local, national and international laws and treaties that are designed to protect communal and environmental interests. It will result in 330 million tons of sand over 22 square kms of coastal dunes in the heart of the Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism being bulldozed for concentrations of heavy minerals in order to enrich an Australian mining company”.

 Ends

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Posted on September 23rd, 2007
Filed under: Press Releases, Current Issues