MAIN NEWS ITEMS
- Message from our Chairperson (Chester Wilmot)
- Poaching, illegal netting
- Preventing contaminated water from entering our estuaries
- Legal issues related to the Westbourne Rd sand dune
- Removing invasive alien vegetation
- Jetty repairs & channel markers
- Boat trailer park at the Kariega slipway
- Liason with other organisations
Message from our Chairperson, Chester Wilmot
The past few months have been largely spent in planning and building an organisation that covers as much of the responsibility that our name suggests. The EC Management Committee has been enlarged and each member has a portfolio with some directing a team of helpers. This management team has been chosen for their sheer enthusiasm for their respective tasks and I am so confident in their success. Unfortunately we have lost two vital members of the committee through health problems, being Stuart, our past chairman and Zelna Breytenbach, our secretary. We will miss their vital input and wish them well in their recovery.
From the activities below, it can be seen that there has been a lot of action over the past few months.
Poaching
On the fishing and bait side there was a significant arrest by the Community Policing Forum of two groups of Foreign Nationals who were using nets to catch anything up to 400 fish of any size. Fines were imposed and equipment confiscated.
Through Dave Curran, we are working with the DEFF Rangers & Community Policing Forum on a process to alert the appropriate authorities and to mobilise teams when poaching is seen or suspected. Extensive use of gillnets in particular can decimate fish stocks and this is a very serious matter which we need to prevent. We have also asked the DEFF Rangers to include checking on the prawn sellers in their patrol routines. They have committed to do so but realistically they have very thin resources on the ground and the most effective deterrent is for the community to apply pressure to those that are buying the prawns and we appeal to members of the community to play their part in putting a stop to the sale of prawns.
Gill nets, fish traps, crab traps etc…confiscated.
Preventing Estuary Contamination
Jacques de Wit has been conscientiously monitoring the sanitation issues on the west side of the Bushmans River. Through his network of spies, every sewer leak is quickly reported to Ndlambe, and being Jacques, they are attended to very quickly. He is not only documenting the whole sewer problem involving the Bushmans sewerage works but has, through constant pressure, had all the unused pipes and cables removed from their swimming beach.
After many discussions about pollution in the Kariega River, Howard Ball has undertaken to look into tackling this issue. Howard and Chester inspected the Ekhupumleni Water Treatment Plant (WTP) where it discharges towards the river and it was agreed that to address this and other pollution issues a working group would need to be set up to include Chamber of Business & Tourism and KOSRA. This group was set up on 13 March. Howard is the leader of this exercise.
The primary focus is to eliminate any discharge of raw or untreated sewage into the river and in so doing lower the E. coli levels. We do a monthly visit to the WTP to observe its operation with a log started in December. After 3 visits Howard has yet to see the aerator operating which is a matter taken up with Ndlambe.
Howard is monitoring sewage discharge and is aware of some discharge running into the kloof but could not access the pipe due to impenetrable bush. He is exploring other possible discharge points in the township with a local contact person and is now also building up a data base of regular test results from the river to monitor the health of the water.
We have invited the 2 local game reserves to get involved in the project and they have willingly accepted. This group will offer to help the local municipality to resolve what is their responsibility but is potentially an extremely dangerous situation which threatens the livelihoods of so many people in the greater Kenton and Boesmans area.
Westbourne Road Sand Dune
There has been a significant positive advance in the management of this dune in that the DEDEAT and Ndlambe have stopped their program where the sand was to be pushed towards the Bushmans mouth. This has been a major breakthrough for our team who brokered the change of heart. We have met with the MER specialist dune consultants on site and they are preparing to return soon to conduct their research. We have tasked them to produce a workable solution to solve the build-up of sand at the entrance to Dry Bones Valley as well as to studying the many man influenced anomalies that exist. We have purposed that they conduct a scientific study and propose a scientific solution without outside influence, ours or any other.
The Special Dune Fund still falls short of the cost of this study and donations are much needed please. Donations to this specific fund can be done via EFT:
Account Name: Estuary Care
Bank: Standard
Branch: Grahamstown
Branch code: 051001
Account No: 283961325
Reference: Dune Fund/Surname
Proof of payment to be sent to info@estuarycare.co.za
Clearing Invasive Alien Plants
Nicholas Albrightson and Daph McNeill and their team are doing a sterling job of clearing Datura plants (olieboom) from the area around the stairs at Middle Beach etc. This is a particularly noxious plant and when the seed pods pop and distribute their seed it is virtually impossible to eradicate.
Images: Clearing Datura
The team, with two employees, have a regular weekly schedule for clearing towpaths and areas where invasive plants are present and EC has bought a chainsaw to help cut out bush and to reduce the load size so cartage is more efficient.
Jetty Repairs & Channel Marking
You will have noticed that the jetties have been replaced or repaired. Even the new Kariega slipway jetty which was damaged by a boat within days of its grand opening needed major repair! We did not get to break a champagne bottle on it, someone with a big boat and 200HP motor broke it before we could celebrate its opening. These important facilities need constant attention.
Andy Shier has given EC (and hence the public) the use of his jetty base which is next to the existing one at the Kariega slipway. Unfortunately there is a cost involved to build the wooden walkway and floating section. We are hoping for someone to donate the R30 000 to R40 000 needed for us to buy the material for our team led by Wayne Morgan to build it before the next Christmas season.
New Kariega slipway jetty
Potential additional jetty area
Since our last newsletter we had a pre-season revamp of both the Boesmans and Kariega channel markers which involved the placement of 7 poles and 22 signs. Over the past few months, we have placed another two poles and 3 signs on the Kariega River and also replaced the rock marker on the Kariega which broke loose.
Duart Scholtz and Kevin Ridden assisting with sign placements
Kariega Boat Trailer Park
Sarah Stevens is investigating some bush clearing to extend the area of the trailer park and to change the approach angles to the slipway to make approach and departure easier. We have asked Ndlambe to build a retaining wall to widen and improve boat and trailer access.
Liason with other organizations
Estuary Care continues to engage with numerous stakeholders and organizations such as Ndlambe Municipality, BRRAG, KOSRA, Chamber of Business & Tourism, Kariega Foundation, Sustainable Seas Trust, Rotary and Round Table and sees our involvement in formal regional and local government planning processes being an essential component of managing our estuary asset in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Future Communication
Please keep a lookout for our website and social media posts and information which will be passed around a number of WhatsApp groups. Please share and pass on to your friends and contacts as we need to grow the awareness of Estuary Care and also secure more paid members to help fund some of the vital work that we are doing.
Closing appeal
Dennis Dallas will be doing a membership drive. We need members to become involved in the various portfolios. As can be imagined, the increased cost of regular water testing, the much upgraded attack on alien vegetation, the building of new jetties and the special dune fund, to name a few, are quickly depleting our small financial reserves. We need more paying members and all donations are welcome.
Membership fees and donations can be paid to our account from our website by using this link to our website https://estuarycare.co.za/join/
Thank you to James Kennedy and his very enthusiastic team for producing this news letter and the many changes they will be bringing to communication in general.
Please contact me on 084 624 0947 or other Estuary Care members via our website https://estuarycare.co.za/ to encourage us or advise us on any matter you have on your mind that will improve our estuaries.
Chester Wilmot
Chairperson
“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”
Chief Seattle
