THREE East London fishermen who drowned trying to cross the dangerous Fish River could still be alive today if they had not been in a overloaded their tiny dinghy without life-jackets.
“The boat would be very deep in the water,” Khanisile Tisani explained.
Manufacturer warnings on the in flatable say it should be used by a maximum of three people – or a com bined weight of 300kg – and only on “sheltered water”.
Grahamstown recreational fisher man Hyron Austin, 46, – who has been going to Bat’s Cave ever since he could walk – said regulars feared people would drown after the caravan park decided to charge access fees.
“I have been fishing Bats Cave my whole life, just like my father and grandfather and we used to walk along the river bank to get there.”
He said this all changed when Thea and Hendrick Swart fenced off access along the river bank and people opted to take their chances and paddle over instead.
He said some people had bought cheap supermarket dinghies y
His sentiments were echoed by subsistence fishermen camping above the caravan park who said they could not afford to pay high costs to fish.
According to Thea Swart, they charged R50 a person to walk through their property for a day fish between 8am and 5pm and R120 for a campsite and R40 a person – even if you over night outside the park and do not use their facilities.
She warned anybody who tried walk through the “private” property on low tide would be arrested for tresspassing – despite legislation stating land below the high water mark belonged to the state.
Nearby villager Large Gxoyiya, 44, says he has been supporting his family for 30 years camping on the river bank during the week, selling his catch to passing motorists on the former Ciskei bantustan side.
“Ever since they bought the caravan park we have not been allowed to walk on the river bank to get to Bat’s Cave.”
Several others – who claim to spend money each day buying food, booze and other necessities from the Swart’s shops – said they felt the decision to charge such steep rates was a racist gesture to keep them out the of park and away from Bats Cave.
Swart denied this.
Public Service Accountability Monitor environmental expert Nicholas Scarr, – who used to work for the provincial Department Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Dedeat), – on Friday said it was up to the property owner to prove their land ran below the high water mark.
He said land below the high mark was classified coastal public property “within which the impediment of pub lic mobility is clearly indefensible”.
He urged affected parties to contact Dedeat regional offices to sort out ac cess issues below the high water mark.
These rights were outlined in the Integrated Coastal Management Act which detail public rights to access coastal public property.
Several attempts to get comment from Dedeat spokesman Sixolile Makaula went unanswered.
A senior staffer, however, confirmed they had investigated the issue last year at the Deeds Office in Bhisho and concluded the Swart’s owned the land up to the high water mark only. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
He said people could walk below the high mark free of charge on the low tide and that the fence running into the water was a problem.
Overloaded boat blamed for tragedy
THREE East London fishermen who drowned trying to cross the dangerous Fish River could still be alive today if they had not been in a overloaded their tiny dinghy without life-jackets.
“The boat would be very deep in the water,” Khanisile Tisani explained.
Manufacturer warnings on the in flatable say it should be used by a maximum of three people – or a com bined weight of 300kg – and only on “sheltered water”.
Grahamstown recreational fisher man Hyron Austin, 46, – who has been going to Bat’s Cave ever since he could walk – said regulars feared people would drown after the caravan park decided to charge access fees.
“I have been fishing Bats Cave my whole life, just like my father and grandfather and we used to walk along the river bank to get there.”
He said this all changed when Thea and Hendrick Swart fenced off access along the river bank and people opted to take their chances and paddle over instead.
He said some people had bought cheap supermarket dinghies y
His sentiments were echoed by subsistence fishermen camping above the caravan park who said they could not afford to pay high costs to fish.
According to Thea Swart, they charged R50 a person to walk through their property for a day fish between 8am and 5pm and R120 for a campsite and R40 a person – even if you over night outside the park and do not use their facilities.
She warned anybody who tried walk through the “private” property on low tide would be arrested for tresspassing – despite legislation stating land below the high water mark belonged to the state.
Nearby villager Large Gxoyiya, 44, says he has been supporting his family for 30 years camping on the river bank during the week, selling his catch to passing motorists on the former Ciskei bantustan side.
“Ever since they bought the caravan park we have not been allowed to walk on the river bank to get to Bat’s Cave.”
Several others – who claim to spend money each day buying food, booze and other necessities from the Swart’s shops – said they felt the decision to charge such steep rates was a racist gesture to keep them out the of park and away from Bats Cave.
Swart denied this.
Public Service Accountability Monitor environmental expert Nicholas Scarr, – who used to work for the provincial Department Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Dedeat), – on Friday said it was up to the property owner to prove their land ran below the high water mark.
He said land below the high mark was classified coastal public property “within which the impediment of pub lic mobility is clearly indefensible”.
He urged affected parties to contact Dedeat regional offices to sort out ac cess issues below the high water mark.
These rights were outlined in the Integrated Coastal Management Act which detail public rights to access coastal public property.
Several attempts to get comment from Dedeat spokesman Sixolile Makaula went unanswered.
A senior staffer, however, confirmed they had investigated the issue last year at the Deeds Office in Bhisho and concluded the Swart’s owned the land up to the high water mark only. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
He said people could walk below the high mark free of charge on the low tide and that the fence running into the water was a problem.
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