INLSA
An aerial picture of the Durban beachfront. Picture: Terry Haywood
Calm returned to KwaZulu-Natal’s popular resort, Sodwana Bay, when around 150 holidaymakers gathered on the beach to celebrate carols by candlelight.
Wednesday’s night’s activities were a far cry from the unruly protests earlier in the week, said Terri Catsis, commercial director of the isiMangaliso Wetland National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site into which Sodwana Bay falls.
“Some 150 carollers joined in the fun, led by a band which include a social worker and a doctor from (the nearby) Mseleni Hospital,” she said on Friday.
The protests were over a new permit system regulating vehicle access on the beach. As a result eight tourists were evicted from the resort and one was arrested and has appeared in the Ubombo Magistrate’s Court.
More arrests were possible as further criminal charges were being explored – among them the assault of one of Catsis’s staffers who was also assaulted in a similar incident in April.
She said authorities were issuing 200 permits for vehicle access to the beach a day – 100 to people accommodated inside the park and 100 to people from outside. – Sapa
Original post:
From chaos to Chistmas carols