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authority concerned has to carry out these responsibilities, and if it fails to do so, the Flag status is summarily withdrawn – as happened with Humewood Beach last year.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