General

Winkies opens in Kenton-on-Sea on 9th December 2011

Various DJ’s will play every night throughout the season including Arsn Wenga, Vibe Nation, Dublusion and many more….

Winkies is planning an excellent New Years Eve event and promises to be the biggest party in the area! The New Years Eve party will be a massive event and will continue until the sun rises over Middle Beach into 2012 -  this is made possible by the liquor board regulations that allow for alcohol sales till 04:00am on New Years eve.

Last year the Winkies branded staff shirts were coveted by the patrons, which will be on sale to the public.

Winkies will also host the increasingly popular “ballies braai”, for the more ‘mature’ crowd who have outgrown the infamous Bathurst Ox Braai. Patrons on this night will be treated to a live band playing hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s and a lamb spit. This event was a great hit last hit last year and we expect this year to be even bigger and better!

The Winkies restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner and will also have menus geared towards children. The location on Middle Beach provides a great venue for day-trippers to have a meal and holiday-makers to entertain family and friends over the festive season.

Winkies will provide a shuttle service to transport patrons from the Main Street to Middle Beach. Winkies has a strong no drinking and driving campaign. Winkies will also be upgrading the Middle Beach ablution facility as  part of our contribution to the Kenton community and in addition to this, Winkies also be making a contribution to a chosen charity in the Kenton Community.

Winkies aims to provide an entertainment facility that is attractive to the whole family, and promises to provide an extremely festive night-life for the over 18 year old community! The Winkies event line up and dates will be published on Posters and fliers in Kenton and the surrounding towns, as well as on Facebook.

We look forward to seeing you for the festive season in December 2011!

Mayor’s Speech – Blue Flag Beach Launch

BLUE FLAG BEACH 2011/2012

A warm Sunshine Coast welcome to the Deputy-Minister: Mabudafase; Mayors and Councilors of participating beaches, the National Blue Flag International Jury Chairperson, Mr Malcolm Powell; all protocols observed! Ndlambe municipality is very proud of their Blue Flag Beaches. As early as 2001 Ndlambe municipality applied for Blue Flag Status for Kelly’s Beach but after two to three years of Pilot status for Kelly’s Beach, they obtained full Blue Flag status for the 2005/6 season. At that time Ndlambe municipality hosted the National Blue Flag launch at Kelly’s Beach, Port Alfred. At the launch I was fortunate enough to hoist the Blue flag with the Deputy Minister: Ms Mabudafase and the Ndlambe Environmental Conservation team. I was standing in for the then Mayor of the municipality and in the capacity as Chief Whip of the ANC. Today I am again here as the Mayor of Ndlambe municipality. At the 2005/6 launch we indicated that we, as the Ndlambe municipality, would like to expand Blue Flag status and that Kariega Main Beach, Kenton-on-Sea, should pursue the status. After 3 pilot seasons, major lobbying convincing the residents of Kenton of the importance of a Blue Flag Beach, we obtained full Blue Flag status on 1 December 2009. Since then Kenton-on-Sea residents saw what a transformation Kariega Main Beach achieved, and today the majority of residents and businesses support the Blue Flag initiative. I am hoping, but extremely confident, that Ndlambe municipality will again receive Blue Flag status for Kelly’s Beach as well as this beautiful Kariega Main Beach. If successful, Kelly’s beach would receive their 7th full Blue Flag status flag and Kariega Main Beach its 3rd Blue Flag status flag. As the Mayor of Ndlambe municipality, I am extremely proud of the Directorate: Community Protection Services, in particular our Blue Flag Champion, Fanie Fouche (our Manager: Environmental Conservation) and his Environmental Conservation Unit. They have put Ndlambe on the Blue Flag International map and have proven that “Nothing’s impossible!” Their hard work and dedication is to be commended. In 2008 Kelly’s beach was hammered by high seas, but after a business plan was submitted to the Department of Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism, Ndlambe was given R2, 2 million to rehabilitate Kelly’s Beach as well as the upgrading of Kariega Main Beach to full Blue Flag status.  We, as Ndlambe municipality are very proud to yet again host the Blue Flag International Launch for this coming 2011/2012 season. Ndlambe applied to host this prestigious Blue Flag event at Kariega Main Beach at the start of the new financial year. It was not budgeted for, and presentations by the Environmental Unit to local organizations for financial support took place. Ndlambe municipality would like to thank the generous sponsorship of Kenton Bushmans Chamber of Business; Sunshine Coast Tourism and Events Authority; Kariega Game Reserve; Bushmans Kariega Estuary Care; Sibuya Game Reserve and Kenton-on-Sea Ratepayers Association, to make this launch possible. The Conservation Unit has been hard at work upgrading the already 5 star facilities and I am sure the community and all those in attendance will agree the facility is in an immaculate condition. We also have a very good working relationship with MBB Consulting Services, and South African National Parks Board, and with the Working for the Coast Programme when it comes to the day to day operations at Kelly’s and Kariega Main Beach. We also have excellent working relationships with NGO’s such as KOSRA, Estuary Care over the New Year peak period, and our Beach Buddies initiatives over the past 4 seasons is a huge success. Ndlambe municipality believe that partnerships between civil society; businesses and the municipality is what makes us unique, and we are more than willing to share our experience with other municipalities. Please take the opportunity to stay, visit, explore and admire Kenton-on-Sea, the jewel of the Sunshine Coast. Why not visit  Port Alfred, the Heart of the Sunshine Coast and  our other towns and wonderful beaches.
Lastly, the full Ndlambe Council supports the Blue Flag initiative, and we are confident that soon Ndlambe will boast with more Blue Flag beaches, so take off your shoes, roll up your pants, walk down to the water’s edge and enjoy our warm-hearted water and friendly hospitality.

Welcome to our pride and joy, OUR Blue Flag Beaches!

(Ndlambe Mayor – Sipho Tandani)

Chairman’s response to R Kelly’s letter to The Herald

Mr R Kelly
Kenton on Sea

Dear Ronnie

Your letter to the Herald of 28 October 2011

In a sense the headline the newspaper attached to your letter published on 28 October (‘Beach party a waste of money’) reflects the dilemma of modern mass communication. The headline picks up one of the points you wish to make (the other being your cynicism at the naiveté, if not stupidity, of the Chamber). The dilemma is that subjective observations are blared forth as if they are objectively factual and balanced, despite your acknowledgment that your letter was based on rumour. So please allow me to provide you with a little more context, so as to allow you to make a more  informed and balanced evaluation.

Blue Flag is an annual international award. Prospective beaches (and from now on, marinas) must annually submit applications to an international jury which makes continual on-the-spot inspections. There are specific stringent criteria to be met, encompassing inter alia safety, facilities and water quality. The local authority concerned has to carry out these responsibilities, and if it fails to do so, the Flag status is summarily withdrawn – as happened with Humewood Beach last year. There may well be other reasons to be frustrated with our local municipality, but they have been successful in keeping the flag flying at Kelly’s Beach for a number of years, and at Kariega Beach for the last two years. For Kenton locals as well as for visitors this has meant unpolluted sea water, supervision by life guards and clean toilet facilities – more than the combined efforts of the Chamber, Ratepayers and Estuary Care have been able to achieve in recent times. In relation to their size Ndlambe is arguably the most successful participant in the South African part of the programme.

As you know the Kenton Bushmans Chamber has for a number of years subscribed to a Business/Tourism model, it being acknowledged that for business to flourish in this area it has to be based on healthy tourism. This does not mean that indiscriminate tourism should be a goal, but it is our view that a successful Blue Flag Beach is the type of tourism we should strongly support and promote. What took place a week ago was the annual awards ceremony for South Africa. It was attended by the Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the Ndlambe Mayor as host, the Ndlambe Municipal Manager and several Councillors, the Head of the Blue Flag International Committee Jury, the head of Blue Flag SA, the Ndlambe Manager of Environmental Conservation, the Wildlife & Environment Society of SA (WESSA), officials from many other municipalities, managers or officers from all 27 beaches and invited guests. For many, including the Deputy Minister, this was their first experience of Kenton. SATV, radio stations and the press were present. In addition to the Deputy Minister and Blue Flag programme executives the ceremony was addressed by several organizations focussing on different aspects of environmental conservation and education linked to the Blue Flag programme, underlining that the Blue Flag programme is about much more than ‘nice’ bathing conditions. Our own primary school put on a conservation exhibition.

Ronnie, this was not a beach party. The budget of R27 000 was not fully used. It covered, inter alia, the hire of 2 marquees, signage, hire of the loudspeaker system and catering. Contributors to the financing were the Chamber of Business & Tourism, Sunshine Coast Tourism, Kenton-on-Sea Ratepayers’ Association and Estuary Care. Sibuya Reserve, Kariega Reserve, SANPARKS and MBB Consulting provided services free of charge. The finger lunch provided to delegates of sandwiches, cocktail sausages and fruit juice hardly constituted a ‘lavish and wasteful party’.

The finances are a little convoluted. It is government policy that local authorities are given government funds for tourism purposes. They do not spend these funds directly but through a local tourist organisation with whom they must have a service level agreement. After a great deal of negotiation Ndlambe have signed such an agreement with the newly formed Sunshine Coast Tourism and Events Authority (SCT), of which we are an affiliated member, and in the formation of which we were actively involved. Mike Wilmot and I are on its management committee. So, while Ndlambe has the responsibility for establishing and maintaining the infrastructure, it cannot pay for tourism directly. SCT in turn gives us a grant which currently is about twice as much as the income we receive from our members. Thus in a sense about two-thirds of any contribution we made to the ceremony came from Ndlambe in the first instance.

I trust this information is useful. Because other Chamber members may have concerns arising from your letter, I will ask the office to post this response on our website, as also the statements issued by WESSA and the Mayor, and we will advise our members accordingly. It occurs to me that despite our efforts to communicate information to members and public alike, your reaction indicates that we could do better. We are always looking for new members to serve on our management committee. One of your undoubted skills is in communication and networking through websites. The portfolio for this activity is at present vacant. Perhaps you would be prepared to take up the cudgels on our behalf instead of against us?

With kind regards.
Sincerely

Mike Kirby (Rev.)
President

Cc    Fanie Fouche
KOSRA
Estuary Care
SCT

Blue Flag

PRESS RELEASE -

BLUE FLAG MEDIA STATEMENT

At the beginning of November 2011, South Africa will celebrate a remarkable achievement in that this will be the start of the 11th year of WESSA’s Blue Flag programme in South Africa.

Launched in November 2001 as part of the South African Government’s CoastCare plans to implement the new coastal legislation, Blue Flag has grown from only 3 beaches in the first year to 27 for this the eleventh year of the programme. Growth has been significant and sustainable and for most coastal municipalities each year sees new beaches being introduced to the programme.

“The success of the Blue Flag programme in South Africa over the past 11 years can be attributed to the commitment of participating municipalities to provide beach-goers and holiday-makers with world class beaches offering a well-managed natural environment; safe, clean and well-managed facilities; and environmental education initiatives, whilst creating employment and tourism opportunities for our communities,” said Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudhafasie.  She gave the keynote address at the National Launch of the 2011-2012 Blue Flag Beach Season, held at Kenton-on-Sea (near Port Alfred, in the Ndlambe Municipality).  She praised the efforts of municipal staff, councillors and supporting communities in developing their Blue Flag beaches and maintaining standards of excellence in managing them and concluded by saying that the country should aim to have a Blue Flag coastline. WESSA’s National Coastal Project Manager and National Blue Flag Programme Co-ordinator, Mr Ted Knott explained: “Blue Flag should be the benchmark, not the exception. Additionally, the Blue Flag programme should have a radiating effect – those beaches or marinas adjacent to Blue Flag Beaches, Boats and Marinas should ideally result in adjacent areas attaining an equally high standard. Those municipalities managing Blue Flag beaches are showing that high levels of excellence and delivery of services to benefit both local and international visitors are possible. “Blue Flag is an organized and internationally managed accreditation programme that provides a viable system for service excellence on our coastline and those municipalities receiving accreditation today should be acknowledged for what they have achieved” said Mr Malcolm Powell, International Blue Flag Jury Chairman, who was a spokesperson at the event.

Research has shown that the investment that coastal municipalities make in meeting and sustaining the international quality assurances that Blue Flag accreditation brings, pays off.  Increasingly South Africa’s domestic tourists are choosing Blue Flag beaches as their “destination of choice” and in so doing, mirroring trends that have been seen in Europe and Scandinavia on their Blue Flag beaches. As the number of Blue Flag beaches on offer in South Africa increases, visitors will know have more choice in terms of visiting our world-class Blue Flag beaches.

Blue Flag as an environmental programme also brings significant benefits in terms of improved environmental management of our coastline.  This is clearly manifested in the highlighting of issues relating to bathing water quality and the need to ensure that infrastructure is effectively managed to minimize impacts on coastal environments.     The greatest threat to Blue Flag sustainability into the future will be the potential negative impacts of land-based pollution on sea bathing water quality.  “Water quality in rivers and estuaries is having a serious effect on our coast”, said Knott. The Green Drop reports earlier this year highlight the very real challenges this country faces in managing waste water management systems and the need for us to ensure that the necessary skills and technical ability is in place at local government level.

South Africa was the first country outside of Europe to implement the Blue Flag programme and since its inception the programme has become a truly global initiative with over 40 countries participating and a number of countries undertaking the feasibility or pilot stage.

The South African beaches that have received Blue Flag accreditation for the 11th year of Blue Flag in South Africa are:

City of Cape Town Municipality:
Silverstroomstrand (*new)
Clifton 4th beach
Camps Bay
Llandudno (*new)
Muizenberg
Strandfontein beach
Mnandi
Bikini beach, Gordon’s Bay
Overstrand Municipality:
Kleinmond beach
Hawston beach
Grotto beach, Hermanus
Mossel Bay Municipality:
Santos beach
Hartenbos beach
Hessequa Municipality:
Witsand, at the mouth of the Breede River
Lappiesbaai, Stilbaai
Bitou Municipality:
Robberg 5th beach, Plettenberg Bay
The Waves, Keerboomstrand, near Plettenberg Bay (*new)
Kouga Municipality:
Dolphin beach, Jeffrey’s Bay
Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality:
Humewood beach, Port Elizabeth
Ndlambe Municipality:
Kariega beach, Kenton-on-Sea
Kelly’s beach, Port Alfred
Hibiscus Coast Municipality:
Trafalgar beach, south coast KZN
Marina beach, south coast KZN
Ramsgate beach, near Margate
Margate beach
Lucien beach near Margate
Umzumbe (Pumula) on the south coast KZN

(*Refers to conditional Full Status, upon the beach meeting the relevant criteria by the end of November)

KentonXtreme Eco Challenge

Please visit www.KentonXtreme.co.za for all the results.

Summer at the seaside – by Erns Grundling

Summer at the seaside
by Erns Grundling

(This excerpt is from an article in Weg! and GO! Magazines, January 2011)

(Photograph courtesy Carlie Norval)

Two rivers, great beaches and lots of fun things to do – a summer holiday in the Eastern Cape town of Kenton on Sea is hard to beat.

The Sunshine Coast technically starts at Van Stadens River west of Port Elizabeth, but to me Kenton on Sea, or just Kenton, has always been the gateway to this stretch of coastline.
Everything on the Sunshine Coast is geared towards one thing: holidays. The brochures boast that you’ll experience more sunny days here than at any other seaside destination in the country.

The Sunshine Coast technically starts at Van Stadens River west of Port Elizabeth, but to me Kenton on Sea, or just Kenton, has always been the gateway to this stretch of coastline.

Everything on the Sunshine Coast is geared towards one thing: holidays. The brochures boast that you’ll experience more sunny days here than at any other seaside destination in the country.

Another feature that makes Kenton so popular as a holiday destination is the fact that it’s flanked by two rivers. The Kariega and the Bushmans snake to the sea in gorges bedecked in aloes. Hemmed in between the two rivers and the coastline is the Joan Muirhead Nature Reserve, which effectively blocks any property development along the seafront.

The sand dunes, rock pools, sheltered bays and rivers are playgrounds for anyone with a boat, canoe or fishing rod, and the views go wonderfully with a sundowner, too.

On top of all this, Big Five game reserves border both rivers, and in the surrounding valley bushveld you can tick off about 200 bird species.

Outside of the holiday season, Kenton (and nearby Bushmans River, Boknes and Cannon Rocks) is tranquil. In the Spar supermarket most of the shoppers are pensioners and on a Saturday the bowling greens see more activity than the beaches.

But during December and January it’s another story. Thousands of holidaymakers descend on Kenton. Lights flicker on in houses that have been shuttered for months, boats putter up and down the rivers, the queues at the Spar grow longer, and the beaches are packed.

But does all the extra activity detract from the town’s laid-back atmosphere? Not a bit!

6 things to do in and around Kenton:

1.Walk on a secluded beach

Here are some prestine beaches to swim and snorkel in!

The Kariega and Bushmans rivers flow into the sea about 1 km from each other, and between the two river mouths a whole day of exploring awaits.

First, pay a visit to the Kenton Tourism office ( 046 648 2411) and pick up a brochure with a map that indicates every pool, inlet and rock formation along the coastline.
Follow the signs in town and park at one of three places: the “Blue Flag” Kariega Main Beach, Middle Beach, or near Corner Rocks on the Bushmans River’s side. Then start walking.
If you walk from Middle Beach in the direction of the Bushmans River, the sandstone slopes and rock formations will regularly make you stop for a photo.
Blue Pool and Mermaid’s Pool are good places for a swim and snorkelling. Try to identify Carriage Rock – which looks exactly as its name suggests.
Shelley Bay, a sheltered inlet and one of the most popular places to swim around here, is another highlight.
From Shelly Bay, walk over a dune and through a milkwood forest – which is in the Joan Muirhead Nature Reserve – back to your car.
Look for the remains of shell middens left behind by the first nomadic visitors to this coastline, and see if you can spot blue duiker or Cape grysbok.

GO! says: Best of all? There’s not an over-the-top beach house in sight.

For the other 5 fun thing Erns did in Kenton on Sea, click here:

http://www.gomag.co.za/towns/story/26

Or click here for the Afrikaans version:

http://www.weg.co.za/dorpe/storie/49

Blue Flag Beach

KENTON’s KARIEGA MAIN BEACH presently holds Blue Flah status. Read more

Join our Facebook page!

Weather

February 22, 2012, 10:59 pm
Clear
Clear
22°C
real feel: 20°C
current pressure: 101 mb
humidity: 71%
wind speed: 12 m/s SSW
wind gusts: 13 m/s
sunrise: 5:54
sunset: 18:58
© 2011 AccuWeather, Inc.
 

Recent Comments

Add your comments here