How the nude beach battle has played out

2014

● The Ray Nkonyeni municipality relaxes a bylaw allowing nudists on the beach when it approves an application by the South African National Naturists Association to declare the 250m stretch KwaZulu-Natal’s first official nude beach.

2015

● The municipality allows a trial run of the nudist beach during the Easter holiday. Later that year, co-operative governance & traditional affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube issues a directive to the municipality in December that no nudity is allowed as the bylaw to legalise the beach as a nudist venue is not yet formalised.

2016

● The Concerned Citizens Group and its chair, the Rev Mike Effanga, complain to the public protector about the plans to legalise nudism.

2016

● The municipality designates part of the Mpenjati Estuary a nudist-friendly beach.

2017

● The public protector releases a report after the community objects to the nude beach, setting aside the granting of permission on the grounds that the council had not followed the proper process.