To the Chairs: EC, KOSRA and BRRAG
Response to Estuary Care’s funding appeal dated 29 March, 2022
KSDNA Directors have been made aware of a notice published on the 29th March calling on members of all six community organisations in Kenton and Bushmans to oppose the Government approved Ndlambe Municipal Plan for the Maintenance of the Kenton Sand Dune.
It is unfortunate that, in many respects, this notice is defamatory and insulting to the expert professional consultants who have been engaged to advise the Municipality, and to produce a Plan that fully conforms to the Environmental Assessment and Approvals in which your organisations participated. The appeal Estuary Care made against these approved plans was dismissed in August 2021 after further discussion and investigation by the Government Department responsible.
Subsequently Ndlambe Municipality went out of their way to try and encourage your organisations to fully understand the project and to meet with the consultants to try and determine if a more environmentally sound solution could be put forward to the Municipality. Many meetings were held but your organisations failed to produce a plan and your ideas failed to conform to the approved Environmental Authorisations.
The reasons given for your Appeal for funds in the abovementioned notice are either incorrect or misleading. Furthermore you continue to advocate “Dry Bones valley is the obvious Alternative”. Your organisations are fully aware that a thorough Environmental Assessment was carried out and it has been made absolutely clear that Dry Bones Valley cannot be used in any scheme for the maintenance of the sand dune. This will never be authorised and there are many reasons for this. You have also been made fully aware, by independent experts, that Dry Bones Valley has not been a sand by-pass for decades. Please stop misleading our communities.
You have advised the communities that you have examined this problem over a 20 year period. Yet nothing has been done in over two decades to change the deteriorating situation within Bushmans River, and Estuary, and these problems have escalated. Like yourselves, KSDNA are not qualified to advise on these complex matters and have therefore supported the professional advice from PRDW and CES which conforms to the Environmental Authorisations. It should be understood that this was at Estuary Care’s request at the outset .
The Plans recommended to the Municipality ensure that Dry Bones Valley and the Nature Reserve will not be damaged, and that the offensive sand dune, that has been allowed to develop, will be rehabilitated to conform to all the environmental requirements. This is a complete long term solution that addresses these requirements. It is dishonest to encourage the communities to believe they can avoid the cost of removing accumulating sand. The Plans enable this to be managed in the best and most economical manner.
It will also ensure that the sand from the Dune, which currently re-enters the Estuary when the Easterly winds are blowing, will cease.
Ndlambe Municipality have thoroughly carried out their legal and moral obligations to all communities and will not appreciate the fact that the approved Plans are being misrepresented. Raising funds based on grounds that have been proven incorrect and will not be approved, will be of great concern to our communities.
We reiterate that the principle issue is the silting Bushmans River which your organisations need to address urgently. There are many different problems all along our coastline, each requiring appropriate solutions upon which the professionals can advise. These can be addressed and we can work together to achieve the right solutions.
For seven years KSDNA have promoted the discussion of these issues with all communities and will continue to do so. We strongly recommend that without respect and adherence to expert professional advice, and a determination to address these issues properly, our communities will continue to see the problems increasing.
The damage to our environment is patently obvious to all of us and we must now start working together to resolve it. We trust you will publish this notice on your websites, as is your responsibility, to ensure that a balanced view is given to our communities.
Sincerely
Robert Rose
Malcolm MacKenzie
Stephen Conradie
Directors KSDNA
10 May 2022