20 December 2019, It is with great anticipation that we head down to the Tugela river mouth.
With my dad in construction all those years ago and involved at Sappi Mandeni and the sugar mills at Amatikulu, this was his home from home. During school holidays he would fetch us to join him, memories ..... Some time after the Cyclone Domoina, Annalie and myself paid a visit to the seriously altered river mouth .....
We are booked at the Lobotes Caravan Park in one of their chalets. At arrival I drop off Annalie and Chris at the beach with our four legged children, Cossie, Minkie and Aerial before I head to Lobotes Caravan Park to book in.
The owners and staff of the park have an immediate effect of being welcome, thanks. During our visit of twelve days we have seen customer rotation and many of these seem regulars and the first timers are all impressed. The vacated spots soon to be filled again. The Lobotes Caravan Park also feature a restaurant which we supported often having different tasty burgers, chips and milk shakes. While waiting for the food preparation Chris and I would have something to drink and listen to the stories and history of the facility and the Tugela years I have missed. The ablution facilities are kept clean and they offer a laundry service. Every morning your braai is cleaned, ready for the next tasty meal.
We try our hand at fishing many times from 4 - 5km further north, also rowing to the south bank on our kayak. We only land one undersize Pompano which returned for a future catch. For a section of coastline with a good surf fishing yield in the past from own experience and a reputation for being an anglers paradise, a bit of a disappointment. In the chalet opposite us a gent who is a saltwater competition angler confirms our findings. What is the impact of the "rumored" gill nets in the river?
All seemed rather peaceful until Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing day when the beach is flooded by visitors. This was acceptable until it seemed to turn in to a public alcohol abuse competition and some party resulting sound pollution. The occasional raising of car engine revolutions and what sounded like spinning. On at least one of these days there where law enforcers present blocking off the street and an obvious blind eye to the illegal public alcohol use. The security company representative, very quick to point out that no dogs are allowed on the beach allowing this actions to continue. The law at the Tugela river mouth is shaped to suit some individuals/groups.
The littering of the beach following these days was unacceptable. The amount of glass collected would go a fair way in filling a skip to half and there was more scattered on the beach. With the cleaning process not yet finished, New Years eve started. The setting off of fireworks is not appreciated, we spend money and travel to get a bit of peace and quiet.
It is clear that there is no conservation of any kind in mind should there be gill nets in the river, the glass and pollution allowed on the beach. We have such a beautiful country and the unspoiled areas reduced to nothing. During our time spent on the beach we had chats with quite a few passionate locals and the actions of the "visitors" do not carry their approval. They are aware of the effect the actions will have on the environment, tourism and that effect will impact the local businesses and the whole Tugela community. Is this the government / local governments intention? What is the reason behind buying a fishing license complying to the "law" if this is their attitude toward conservation of these limited resources? Policing the angler, but not remove the gill nets and punish the perpetrators. Intervention is needed.